North Antrim families left waiting as home care crisis deepens

A growing crisis in home care provision across Northern Ireland is leaving hundreds of vulnerable people waiting for support, with rural communities in North Antrim facing some of the sharpest pressures, according to comments made at Stormont this week.

Speaking during an Assembly debate on Tuesday, 12 May, TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston warned that the situation could no longer be softened or downplayed, describing the current state of domiciliary care as a “crisis”.

He told MLAs that, in December 2025 alone, the Northern Health Trust had 532 people waiting for full care packages and a further 303 waiting for partial care packages — figures he said exposed the mounting strain facing families, older people and frontline carers across the region.

Rural communities facing longer waits

During the debate, Mr Gaston said the problem was particularly acute in rural constituencies such as North Antrim, where geography and travel distances were making care provision harder to sustain.

TUV North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston

He told the Assembly that providers often prioritise urban areas because shorter travel distances make care packages more financially viable.

“What does that mean to the layman in the street?” he asked.

“It means that an elderly person in a rural community may wait longer for care not because their need is less serious but because they live too far away from an urban area.”

The comments highlight longstanding concerns across large parts of County Antrim and other rural areas of Northern Ireland, where families have repeatedly raised fears about delays in securing support for elderly relatives and vulnerable residents living independently.

The Northern Trust area covers a vast geographical region stretching across towns, villages and isolated rural communities, creating significant logistical challenges for domiciliary care providers attempting to recruit staff and maintain viable travel schedules.

Pressure growing on frontline workers

Mr Gaston also used the debate to highlight the pressures facing home care workers themselves, describing a workforce dealing with increasingly difficult conditions while struggling with recruitment and retention problems.

He said many carers were working unsocial hours, travelling long distances and supporting people with increasingly complex needs — often while working alone.

Despite that responsibility, he argued many workers could earn similar wages in retail or hospitality jobs carrying far less pressure.

“The truth is that many home care workers do extraordinary work in increasingly difficult circumstances,” he said.

He argued that genuinely valuing the sector would require more than political rhetoric, calling for a real living wage approach similar to measures introduced in Scotland.

Stormont funding and political tensions exposed

The debate also triggered wider political disagreement inside the Assembly chamber over Stormont spending priorities and responsibility for addressing the crisis.

Mr Gaston criticised Northern Ireland’s power-sharing system, claiming departments operated in silos and accusing parties of failing to work collectively to resolve major public service pressures.

During an intervention, Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan rejected suggestions that other ministers had failed to prioritise health funding.

Mr McGuigan said both current and previous Sinn Féin Finance Ministers had prioritised health spending, noting that the Health Minister had received more than 52% of the available budget.

He told the chamber:

“We all recognise that Health has to be a priority, but it is up to the Minister to deal with the £8·6 billion that is at his disposal and make decisions.”

Mr Gaston responded by arguing that more could still be done within existing budgets and accused Stormont of failing to prioritise frontline care services appropriately.

Questions raised over mileage payments

A major concern raised during the debate centred on travel costs for domiciliary care workers — an issue with particular relevance in rural constituencies such as North Antrim.

Mr Gaston said he had reviewed a written Assembly answer from Health Minister Mike Nesbitt which acknowledged that the Department had not carried out a formal assessment of mileage reimbursement rates for domiciliary care workers employed by independent providers.

He questioned why no assessment had been undertaken despite rising fuel costs and the heavy travel demands placed on carers operating across large rural areas.

“In large rural constituencies like North Antrim, travel is essential to deliver that service,” he said.

“At a time of rising fuel costs, it is an aspect of the job that eats into the already meagre pay of those who deliver vital front-line services.”

The comments are likely to resonate strongly with carers across Northern Ireland who routinely travel significant distances between appointments, particularly in areas where public transport options are limited.

MLA pay rise comparison sparks criticism

Toward the close of his remarks, Mr Gaston drew comparisons between pressures on domiciliary care funding and Stormont’s recent decision to approve a 27% salary increase for MLAs.

He criticised what he described as misplaced political priorities, arguing that funding had been found for elected representatives while frontline care workers were still waiting for meaningful improvements in pay and conditions.

“A number of months ago, the House had no problem finding money for the 27% salary increase for MLAs,” he said.

“Yet, when it comes to this vital front-line service, it cannot even enact the living wage for domiciliary care workers in our community.”

His remarks come amid continuing concern across Northern Ireland over waiting lists, workforce shortages and mounting pressure on health and social care services.

For many families across North Antrim and beyond, the debate reflected a growing reality already being experienced at home — lengthy waits for support, overstretched carers and increasing fears over whether vulnerable people can access the help they need when they need it most.