HSE Home Support Service: How to Apply and What Happens Next

The HSE Home Support Service helps older people remain at home and supports people who are returning home from hospital or a nursing home. This page explains the current application route and separates official home support from private transport or companionship.

Who can apply?

The HSE says an older person may apply while at home, in hospital, or in a nursing home when they want to return home. You can complete the application yourself. If you need help, an adult family member, nominated carer, GP, nurse or another registered healthcare professional may complete it for you, subject to the consent and decision-support rules in the form.

This corrects a common misconception: an application does not always require a GP or hospital referral. If you are already in hospital, ask the person managing the discharge plan for the form as early as possible.

How to apply for HSE home support

1. Get the current form: download it from the HSE or request it from your local Home Support Office.
2. Describe the real support need: include the tasks the person cannot safely manage, current family or informal support, and the expected discharge date if they are in hospital.
3. Complete consent carefully: the applicant normally signs the declaration and consent section. Only a person legally entitled to act for them should sign instead.
4. Return it locally: post the completed form to the relevant HSE Home Support Office using the current contact list supplied by the HSE.
5. Keep a copy: retain the submitted form and note the date and office used.

What happens after the application?

The HSE reviews the application and completes a needs assessment. The assessment considers the person's ability to manage daily activities, existing health and personal services, the home situation, and available family or community support. Approval and the amount or pattern of support are not automatic.

If support is approved, the HSE allocates it according to the assessed care need and available service arrangements. The HSE may deliver support through its own staff or an approved provider. Consumer Directed Home Support may also be available: after approval and allocation, the person chooses from approved providers and agrees call times with that provider.

Questions to document before the assessment

• Which personal-care or daily-living tasks cannot be managed safely?
• What has changed since the hospital admission?
• What help is already available from family, neighbours or community services?
• Are there access, stairs, transfer or equipment issues at home?
• What is the expected discharge date and who is coordinating the discharge plan?
• Who should the HSE contact about the application, with the applicant's consent?

Costs, waiting times and availability

Do not rely on generic price bands or waiting-time estimates. The current HSE information does not support a single national timetable or the invented means-tested hourly charges previously shown on this page. Ask the local Home Support Office what applies to the individual application and record the answer.

If needs change while an application is being considered, contact the person managing the discharge plan, GP, public health nurse or local Home Support Office. A private companion is not a substitute for nursing, personal care, clinical monitoring or an HSE care package.

Choosing an approved provider

The HSE says it will provide a list of approved home support providers when choice is available. It recommends choosing more than one option because a first-choice provider may not be available. Approved providers must meet the national standards specified by the HSE, including trained staff and current policies and procedures.

If you are separately considering a fully private service, ask for written details of the exact tasks, staff qualifications, safeguarding, insurance, cancellation terms and complaint route. Do not assume that being a private provider means the service is HSE-funded or HSE-approved.

Separate the discharge-day plan from ongoing care

A hospital-to-home journey is a short practical task. Ongoing home support is a care arrangement based on assessment. Before discharge, write down who is collecting the person, who receives the discharge documents, how the home will be opened and prepared, and who will be present afterwards if the hospital requires supervision.

Use our hospital-to-home transport checklist for that journey. Families supporting an older relative can also use the elderly parent discharge checklist.

Official sources

• HSE: how to apply for the Home Support Service
• HSE: Home Support Service
• HSE: choosing an approved home support provider