How to Get a Home Care Package from the HSE

If you're trying to work out how to get a home care package from the HSE, the short answer is: contact your GP or local Public Health Nurse for a referral, complete a HSE home support needs assessment, and wait for the application to be reviewed and, if approved, allocated hours. It sounds straightforward on paper. In practice, it's a process that takes time, patience, and often a fair bit of chasing on your part — especially while you're worried about a parent who needs help now. This guide walks through each step honestly, including what happens if the wait is longer than your family can manage.

What Is a HSE Home Care Package?

A HSE home care package, more formally the HSE Home Support Service, is publicly funded help with everyday tasks like washing, dressing, meal preparation and light housekeeping, delivered in a person's own home. It is assessed and allocated by the HSE based on need and funding availability, and it is separate from the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Fair Deal), which funds long-term residential care rather than home-based support.

How to Get a Home Care Package from the HSE: Step by Step

Applying for home care in Ireland through the HSE follows a set sequence. Here's what to expect at each stage.

Step 1: Talk to your GP or Public Health Nurse

The usual starting point is a PHN home care referral. Your GP can refer you, or you can contact your local Public Health Nurse (PHN) directly through your HSE Community Healthcare Organisation. The PHN typically knows the person's medical and social circumstances and can flag the case appropriately.

Step 2: The HSE needs assessment

A HSE assessor, often the PHN, carries out a common assessment of the person's care needs — mobility, cognition, personal care, home environment and existing family supports are all considered. This determines the level of home support hours that may be appropriate.

Step 3: Approval and prioritisation

Applications are reviewed and prioritised against clinical and social need, and against the funding and hours available in that area at that time. This is the stage where timelines vary most, and where hospital discharge cases are often (though not always) prioritised.

Step 4: Home support hours begin

Once approved and allocated, a home support provider contracted to the HSE, or HSE staff directly, begin delivering the agreed hours. Hours can sometimes be fewer than the family hoped for, reflecting local resourcing rather than the individual's actual need.

How Long Does It Take to Get HSE Home Care Approved?

There is no fixed national timeline, and it varies significantly by region and by how many hours are being requested. Recent reporting has highlighted that in some counties, families can face lengthy waits for approved home support hours to actually start, even after the assessment is complete and the application has been approved. If you're arranging care around a hospital discharge date, a fall, or a diagnosis, this gap is often the hardest part.

What Can You Do While You Wait?

Waiting for HSE approval doesn't mean your family has to manage alone in the meantime. Arranging private care alongside or instead of a HSE application is a completely legitimate choice, and many families do both — using private care as a bridge, or long-term, if hours through the HSE turn out to be less than what's needed.

• Respite care can cover a short period around a hospital discharge or while an application is in progress

• Daytime or Visiting Care can top up whatever HSE hours are eventually allocated

• Live-in care becomes worth considering if the need is round-the-clock rather than a few hours a day

United Irish Healthcare (UIH) can typically have care set up in days rather than weeks, which makes it a practical option for the gap between a HSE application and an outcome — or as the primary solution if a family decides private care suits them better.

Private Home Care vs HSE Home Support: What's the Difference?

The core difference is speed, choice and consistency versus cost. HSE Home Support is publicly funded and free at the point of use, but hours are limited by local resourcing and there can be a wait. Private care is paid for directly by the family but can start within days, offers a choice of care package, from a few hours a day up to full 24/7 live-in cover, and typically means the same small team of carers becomes familiar with the person's routine.

Cost is usually the biggest hesitation with private care, and it's worth knowing that tax relief is available at the individual's marginal rate — up to 40% for higher-rate taxpayers — on qualifying home care costs up to €75,000 a year under s.467 TCA 1997. That can bring premium private care much closer to affordable than most families first assume. Always confirm your own position with Revenue or your accountant.

Choosing private care alongside or instead of a HSE package isn't a failure to make the public system work — it's simply making sure the person you love gets support on a timeline that suits their needs, not the system's capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who do I contact first for HSE home care?

Start with your GP or your local Public Health Nurse (PHN), who can refer you into the HSE Home Support Service and carry out or arrange the needs assessment. Your local HSE Community Healthcare Organisation office can also direct you to the right contact.

Can I get private home care while waiting for a HSE decision?

Yes. There's no rule against arranging private care alongside a HSE application. Many families use private care such as respite or daytime support as a bridge while waiting, and some continue with it long-term if HSE hours turn out to be limited.

Is HSE home care the same as Fair Deal?

No. Fair Deal (the Nursing Homes Support Scheme) funds long-term residential nursing home care. HSE Home Support is a separate scheme that funds help with daily tasks delivered in the person's own home.

How many hours of home support will the HSE approve?

This depends entirely on the individual's assessed need and the funding and staffing available in that area at the time. There's no standard number of hours, which is why outcomes vary so much between families and regions.

What if the HSE hours aren't enough?

It's common for families to top up HSE-allocated hours with private care, whether that's a few extra hours a day, overnight cover, or a move to full live-in care as needs increase. UIH carers can be arranged to work around whatever HSE support is already in place.

If you'd like to talk through your options, whether as a bridge while you wait or a longer-term plan, the team at United Irish Healthcare is happy to help. Call 0818 700 100 or get a quote today.