New era for Kilkenny Home Care Team as HSE to fund Clinical Nurse Team

The Board of Directors of Carlow Kilkenny Homecare (CKHC) has announced that it has secured the long-term funding and governance of its Clinical Nurse Team with the full transfer of responsibility for this aspect of its operations to the HSE.

The change means the guaranteed funding and continuation of the services provided by the team, which first began when Carlow Kilkenny Homecare was founded in 1989, as well as development of a range of new services by the voluntary organisation, which will see it provide new supports to the families and patients who have always been its priority.

The voluntary organisation, which has operated the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare team over the last 34 years, is emphasising that its core mission of providing support for palliative care patients and their families remains the same and that the changes are extremely positive.  The organisation will continue to fundraise and is always grateful for the donations and bequests it receives.

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The transfer has been the culmination of an extensive period of constructive consultation between the Board of Carlow Kilkenny Homecare, Management and Staff of the Team and the HSE. The change has been effective since May of this year.

Service users are assured that staffing and day to day management of the service and the provision of care to families across Carlow Kilkenny will continue and are pleased to note that the HSE has confirmed they are increasing the number of nursing staff employed as part of the Team.  

The change simply means that the responsibility for the funding, management and operation of the front-line operations of the local Homecare service are now being fully assumed by the HSE.

The Carlow Kilkenny Homecare organisation will remain in existence with its new focus being on provision and ongoing funding of specialist palliative care beds on a short-term basis in nursing homes, the extension of night nurse cover to patients requiring palliative care and support to carers of patients requiring palliative care.

The Board of CKHC says that the change is a positive development in the context of the increasing complexity of treatments and technologies, as well as new requirements relating to regulation and governance of healthcare providers. Similar changes have taken place in relation to other voluntary Home Care providers in this region and around the country for the same reasons.

The Carlow Kilkenny Homecare Team was founded in 1989 by consultant Mr Ian Wilson and was at the time, the first Homecare team established in Ireland outside of Dublin and has been at the forefront of the development of the Homecare movement in the country.  Since the retirement of Mr Wilson from medical practice, the voluntary organisation has been engaged in planning for the future and equipping its structure and governance to meet the needs of the changing medical environment.

While Carlow Kilkenny Homecare will continue to co-operate with the HSE and the Nursing Team, it remains independent of HSE and has autonomy over the distribution of funding for new services which it says will always be directed towards the best interests of patients and their families at what is a difficult time of their lives.

Speaking regarding the announcement, CKHC board member Catherine Quinlan, who worked as a Nurse with Carlow Kilkenny Homecare alongside Mr Ian Wilson when the service was first launched in 1989, and who was the Clinical Nurse Manager of the Service before her recent retirement, said that the development is extremely positive and will allow the organisation to expand its work to new areas:

“We would like to thank Mr Ian Wilson who had the vision and the skills to bring these valuable services to the people of Carlow and Kilkenny. We would also like to thank the thousands of individuals and families who have welcomed us into their homes over the years at what has invariably been a very difficult time for them. Through the support of countless more families, individuals and organisations, Carlow Kilkenny Home Care has become an intrinsic part of healthcare in this area. We look forward to continuing our work for patients and families in new and innovative ways”.

Carlow Kilkenny Homecare has been a unique service to the people across the two counties of Carlow and Kilkenny according to CKHC Director Breda O Mahony and the new services and supports being developed by the organisation will continue to be provided to patients in the area regardless of their location.

“It is particularly apt that this announcement is being made during Palliative Care Week (September 10th – 16th 2023),” according to Brian Kiely who is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Carlow Kilkenny Homecare. “Thanks to the support of the community over the years, Carlow Kilkenny Homecare has provided a service to thousands of individuals and families and has been a ground-breaking service. We will continue to do so in line with our founding mission and this announcement marks an exciting and positive phase of development for the organisation.”