SIPTU to stage demonstration against tendering process by HSE, writes RONAN McGREEVY
A PROTEST MARCH will be held today because of the decision of the Health Service Executive (HSE) to put home-help services out to tender.
SIPTU, which is organising the protest, said there was a “veil of secrecy” surrounding the tendering process for “enhanced home-care services”.
The union has called on home helps, their families and clients to assemble at the Garden of Remembrance at noon.
The HSE defines “enhanced home-care services” as those that are above and beyond the usual home-care services for elderly people. There are expected to be 12 such providers appointed by tender, three in each of the HSE’s four regions.
Last October, the HSE began a national procurement process for the provision of enhanced home-care services from 2011. The tender is currently under way. When completed, it will result in a range of approved providers from the private sector providing home help services.
SIPTU health sector organiser Louise O’Reilly said existing home helps had had their hours reduced while the tender was being sought, although many of them were keen to work longer hours.
“These members deserve to be offered any work which is available,” she said. “A substantial amount of taxpayers’ money is already being channelled into the private home-care industry. Our members are ready and willing to do this work and we are mystified that they are not being offered it in the first instance.”
SIPTU’s acting health division organiser, Paul Bell, said the union had concerns in relation to the quality and quantity of service offered by the “for-profit” organisations in the home-care business.
He also said the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) had no rights in the area of inspection of such private organisations because of the absence of legislation.
The HSE spends in excess of €340 million a year on home-care services for about 65,000 people. More than 90 per cent of this care is provided directly by HSE staff.
A HSE spokeswoman stressed that the organisation would continue to provide the vast majority of home-care services and that existing services would not be affected by the current procurement process, which was solely for home-care package scheme clients in the future.
She said all organisations that became approved providers would need to meet minimum standards in staff qualification, training, recruitment and vetting of staff, and that the tender was strictly governed by the EU procurement process.