A record 799 people were waiting for a domiciliary care package in the Southern Trust area at 31 March 2026, prompting warnings that home care is “at breaking point” and placing further pressure on hospitals serving people across the Newry and Armagh constituency.
The figures were provided by the Health Minister in response to Assembly questions from DUP MLA Gareth Wilson. They show that 764 of those waiting were seeking a full package of care. Mr Wilson said the total was the highest recorded across Northern Ireland and called for an update on progress to reduce the waiting list.
The issue affects older people who want to remain at home, people living with disabilities and families supporting relatives with complex needs. It is particularly significant in rural communities, where longer travel distances and geography can make it harder to provide care consistently.
Families waiting for help at home
Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Wilson said domiciliary care had been a regular concern raised by constituents since he took up his role in January. He described the desperation of families trying to balance full-time employment with caring for elderly parents, as well as the difficulties faced by families following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
“We are talking about older people who wish to remain in their own homes, people living with disabilities who rely on support to maintain their independence and families who are often carrying enormous caring responsibilities while waiting for help to arrive.”
Domiciliary care workers provide support with personal care, medication, mobility and everyday tasks. Mr Wilson recognised the importance of that work and said the debate was not intended to criticise frontline staff, who were continuing to work in increasingly difficult circumstances.
Instead, he said the growing waiting list needed to be addressed before it became a greater crisis. He asked Health Minister Robbie Butler to outline what steps could be taken with the Southern Trust to ensure people in rural communities were not disadvantaged when seeking support.
Hospital patients facing lengthy delays
The shortage of home-care provision is also affecting the ability of hospitals to discharge patients who are medically fit to leave. Figures presented to the Assembly show that delayed discharges linked to a lack of home care at Craigavon Area Hospital rose from 281 in 2024 to 358 in 2025.
At Newry’s Daisy Hill Hospital, the number increased from 153 in 2024 to 228 in 2025. During 2025, the average delay attributed to insufficient home care was 8.66 days at Craigavon and 9.47 days at Daisy Hill.
The longest recorded delays were substantially higher. One patient at Craigavon waited 66 days to be discharged because home-care provision was unavailable, while one patient at Daisy Hill waited 131 days.
“A delay of more than four months is simply not a system inefficiency; it is a sign that something is fundamentally wrong.”
Mr Wilson warned that patients who are medically fit to leave hospital remain in beds while care arrangements are organised. He said this prevents beds being made available to other patients and increases pressure on emergency departments and the wider health service.
Rural care pressures highlighted
Sinn Féin MLA Aoife Finnegan, also representing the Newry and Armagh area, said she welcomed the Assembly debate. She said she had helped secure a care package for a female constituent who had spent 85 days in hospital waiting for one.
After returning home, the woman was unsure of herself and worried about the periods when carers would not be present, Ms Finnegan said. Her family had stepped in to provide care, which she described as an example of the pressures experienced by families in rural areas.
“When she came home, she was really unsure of herself in her own home and fearful of the times when the carers would not be there,” she said.
Ms Finnegan also said domiciliary care workers had told her they faced difficult financial choices, including whether they could remain in the sector while supporting their own families.
“We must truly recognise the additional challenges faced by rural communities such as those in my constituency, where geography and travel distances place a further strain on an already overstretched service,” she said.
The Assembly discussion has placed the Southern Trust waiting list, hospital discharge delays and the availability of rural home care firmly before the Health Minister. The source report did not state what further measures or timetable the Department and the Trust will now adopt.