Leitrim faces home care crisis as only 21 carers hired across region in over a year

Only 21 home carers were recruited between January 2024 and February 2025 to serve the entire region of Sligo, Leitrim, and West Cavan.

A continued struggle to recruit and attract people into the home care sector is placing increasing pressure on hospitals.

This issue was highlighted at the July meeting of Leitrim County Council, where Cllr Róisín Kenny shared correspondence received from the HSE. 

It followed a motion she had submitted during the May Council meeting, where she pointed out that unfilled home care hours in Leitrim had nearly doubled over the course of 2024.

In Leitrim, the number of unfilled home care hours for older people increased from 152 on January 1 to 295 by the end of December.

“Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan is a very big area for only 21 to be recruited,” said Cllr Kenny.

“While it’s welcome they’re trying their best, it’s only scratching the surface and there needs to be much more emphasis on this,” she added.

READ NEXT: Advice on retrofitting and free educational courses in Carrick-on-Shannon

Cllr Paddy O’Rourke said he had spoken with someone involved in agency care employment for the elderly, who told him the biggest challenge in providing care is the shortage of available staff.

He noted that one reason for this is the difficulty in attracting men and women to the job. One suggestion raised in his conversation was to allow people on jobseekers allowance to work a few hours if they’re able.

“If the Minister for Social Protection could investigate allowing people to retain their benefits and a partial payment under the scheme, to take on a few hours a day, a lot of people would come back into the work force,” Cllr O’Rourke said.

He proposed writing to the Minister on this issue, warning, “Otherwise we are going to come up against a brick wall.”

“We’re on a cliff edge to support the most vulnerable people in our community,” he added. His proposal was seconded by Cllr Pádraig Fallon.

The matter was further underlined by a motion from Cllr Sean McGowan at Monday’s meeting, following the earlier discussion on Cllr Kenny’s correspondence.

READ NEXT: County council grants planning permission for new Baptist church space in Leitrim town

Cllr McGowan called on the Council to ask the Education and Training Board, in conjunction with the HSE and the Department of Social Protection, to deliver a course to train both male and female carers, citing the severe shortage.

He acknowledged that many men are hesitant to enter the field but emphasised, “It’s something that’s urgently needed.”

Cllr Enda McGloin supported the motion but pointed out that while many people initially enrol in home care training courses, only a handful tend to complete them.

“We have to do what we can to encourage people, it is a good career,” he said. 

However, he stressed that the HSE must hire more carers to relieve pressure on hospitals – where patients often remain admitted simply because no home care support is available to facilitate discharge.