How to Apply for Home Help Ireland: The HSE Application Step by Step

Who Can Apply

People living in Ireland who need help with daily activities due to age, illness, frailty, or disability can ask the HSE to assess their needs. Eligibility is based on clinical care need rather than income or medical-card status; no universal minimum age is stated for the scheme.

The application can be submitted by:

• The person who needs care (your parent)
• A family member on their behalf
• Their GP
• A public health nurse
• A hospital discharge coordinator (for patients being sent home after a hospital stay)

Getting the Application Form

The HSE Home Support Service Application Form is a 24-page document. You can get it from:

• Your parent's local HSE Home Support Office
• Their GP surgery
• The HSE website (downloadable PDF)
• The hospital medical social worker, if your parent is currently an inpatient

The form covers basic personal details, current living situation, medical conditions, and the type of support being requested. Most of the 24 pages are consent declarations, data-sharing agreements, and provider preferences.

The Critical Part: Part 12 Consent

Part 12 of the form is the consent and declaration section. This is where legal requirements bite.

If your parent has cognitive capacity, they must sign this section personally. No one else can sign on their behalf simply because it's more convenient.

If your parent's capacity is diminished — perhaps due to dementia — the form can only be signed by a legally recognised decision supporter registered with the Decision Support Service (DSS). This means one of:

• A co-decision maker under a registered co-decision-making agreement
• A court-appointed decision-making representative
• An attorney acting under a registered Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA)

An informal arrangement where "the daughter handles everything" does not satisfy the statutory requirement under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015. If your parent can't sign and no formal legal arrangement is in place, you need to address this before the application can proceed.

Choosing Traditional or CDHS on the Form

The application form asks you to indicate a delivery preference:

Traditional allocation means the HSE assigns a provider and manages scheduling. You have limited control over which carer arrives or what time.

Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS) means you select an approved provider from the HSE panel. The HSE pays the provider directly — no money passes through the family. You get control over scheduling, carer selection, and continuity.

Tick the CDHS box on the application form if you want this option. Confirm with the HSE how any later change to the delivery preference would work.

What Happens After You Submit

For community applications (your parent is living at home and not in hospital), the timeline runs roughly:

1. Application received by the local HSE Home Support Office
2. Assessment scheduled within 2–4 weeks — an assessor (public health nurse or OT) visits the home
3. interRAI assessment conducted — evaluating physical function, cognitive status, environment, and clinical indicators
4. Decision issued in writing within 10 working days of the assessment
5. Service mobilisation — a carer is matched and visits begin, subject to staff availability

Hospital discharge applications move faster. The discharge coordinator initiates the referral during the hospital stay, and the assessment may be completed before discharge or scheduled for the first days after the parent returns home.

When the Waiting List Hits

Even after approval, your parent may not receive full hours immediately. Workforce shortages mean many HSE regions have delivery waiting lists. Your parent might be approved for 10 hours per week but only receive 5 until staff become available.

If you're facing a gap, the practical options are private top-up hours (€30–€35 per hour) or requesting a reassessment if your parent's condition deteriorates. Private care costs may qualify for Section 467 tax relief.

Our Ireland Home Support guide walks through the full application form section by section, includes an assessment evidence log to document your parent's needs before the interRAI visit, and covers what to do when the waiting list stalls your care plan.

See more Ireland guides →