HOW TO HIRE · CARE & SUPPORT

How to hire a medication support worker in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A medication support in Ireland costs €15–€40 per visit, typically around €25. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a medication support worker in five steps

  1. Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers medication support worker work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — education and Guidance — medication support includes educating clients and their families about the medications being taken, including potential side effects and interactions.
  2. How does complexity of the services required change the price?A complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  3. How does experience of the provider change the price?The cheapest quote is rarely the most experienced one. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does duration of care needed change the price?The duration you choose is the main thing you control. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. What is not included?Health Monitoring — support services often involve monitoring health conditions that require medication, such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a medication support worker job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

THERE IS NO STATUTORY REGISTER OF HOME CARE PROVIDERS IN IRELAND YET, and that is the single most important thing to know before hiring one. HIQA has said plainly that home care and support services are not statutorily regulated. The Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 passed both Houses of the Oireachtas in 2026 and amends the Health Act 2007 to create HIQA registration, a public register, an appeals process and transitional arrangements, and to make providing a home support service without registration an OFFENCE. It is not yet in force — the commencement date is not published and HIQA's national standards for home support are still in development. So in 2026 the checks below are the protection, not a register.

Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.

What to check instead

Whether they hold an HSE Home Support Authorisation — the HSE's own scheme has service specifications, which is the nearest thing to an external standard today; Garda vetting for every individual carer, with dates; Employer's liability and public liability insurance, and whether carers are employees or contractors — it decides who is liable and who covers sickness; What happens when the regular carer is ill or on holiday, in writing; The care plan, in writing, and who reviews it and how often; References from two current families.

Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.

Garda vetting

National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012–2016 Vetting is mandatory for work with vulnerable adults and is obtained through a relevant organisation, not by a family. Ask to see the disclosure and its date for EVERY carer who will come, not just the manager.

Ask to see the garda vetting letter itself, with its date on it — not a statement that one exists.

Insurance

Expect employer's liability and public liability, plus cover for medication handling where that is part of the care. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

VAT

VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?”

A good answer: No register covers medication support worker work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — education and Guidance — medication support includes educating clients and their families about the medications being taken, including potential side effects and interactions.

“How does complexity of the services required change the price?”

A good answer: A complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does experience of the provider change the price?”

A good answer: The cheapest quote is rarely the most experienced one. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does duration of care needed change the price?”

A good answer: The duration you choose is the main thing you control. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: Health Monitoring — support services often involve monitoring health conditions that require medication, such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a medication support worker job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect employer's liability and public liability, plus cover for medication handling where that is part of the care — liaison with Healthcare Providers — acts as a communication bridge between the patient and healthcare providers to clarify treatment plans.

“What do I get in writing, and when?”

A good answer: A written scope and a price before the medication support worker starts, and an itemised invoice after — prescription Guidance — offers education about prescribed medications, including their purpose, dosage, and potential side effects.

Getting the quote right

  • Complexity of the services required — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts.
  • Experience of the provider — the cheapest quote is rarely the most experienced one.
  • Duration of care needed — the duration you choose is the main thing you control.
  • Complexity of the medication regimen — the more intricate the work, the slower it has to be done.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They will not talk about it: complexity of the services required — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts
  • They will not talk about it: experience of the provider — the cheapest quote is rarely the most experienced one
  • They will not talk about it: duration of care needed — the duration you choose is the main thing you control
  • A price for the medication support worker before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
  • Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
  • No written quote, or one that moves once the medication support worker has begun
LOW
€15
TYPICAL
€25
HIGH
€40

What a medication support worker costs: €15–€40 per visit

The figures are for the job, per visit, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Medication management and Medication reconciliation each carry their own band. Medication Support price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Medication support workers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Look firstComplexity of the services required — a complicated brief needs a conversation before any work starts — that is what the medication support worker is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneExperience of the provider — the cheapest quote is rarely the most experienced one — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfDuration of care needed — the duration you choose is the main thing you control — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherComplexity of the medication regimen — the more intricate the work, the slower it has to be done — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the medication support worker is still there.
  5. What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, frequency of required support — providers price it in because it cannot be worked around.

Health Monitoring
Support services often involve monitoring health conditions that require medication, such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels.
Education and Guidance
Medication support includes educating clients and their families about the medications being taken, including potential side effects and interactions.
Prescription Guidance
Offers education about prescribed medications, including their purpose, dosage, and potential side effects.
Liaison with Healthcare Providers
Acts as a communication bridge between the patient and healthcare providers to clarify treatment plans.
Call-out
A fixed charge for turning up, separate from the work itself. On a short medication support worker job it is often most of the bill, so ask whether the first hour is inside it.
Scope
Exactly what is and is not being done, written down before anyone starts. Two quotes for a medication support worker are only comparable when they are quoting the same scope.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the invoice and the paperworkAn itemised invoice with the trader's name, the work and the total — education and Guidance — medication support includes educating clients and their families about the medications being taken, including potential side effects and interactions, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the medication support worker has gone.
Test what was doneHealth Monitoring — support services often involve monitoring health conditions that require medication, such as blood pressure or blood sugar levels — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. liaison with Healthcare Providers — acts as a communication bridge between the patient and healthcare providers to clarify treatment plans — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a medication support worker's card means something — prescription Guidance — offers education about prescribed medications, including their purpose, dosage, and potential side effects.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itThere is no register, so the route is the consumer body and, if needed, the courts.
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring a medication support worker: questions people ask

The cost of medication support can vary based on the complexity of the services required, the experience of the provider, and the duration of care needed. Additional factors include travel time and any specialised skills that may be necessary.

The duration of a medication support session typically ranges from one hour to several hours, depending on the individual's needs. More complex cases that require extensive monitoring or education may take longer.

Emergency or same-day medication support may be available, but it largely depends on the provider's schedule and the nature of the request. It's advisable to inquire about availability when booking.

Yes, many providers offer the option to book multiple related services, such as medication support combined with health monitoring. This can often lead to a more comprehensive care plan and may even result in cost savings.

Services that are generally out of scope for medication support include medical diagnoses, prescribing medications, and performing medical procedures. Medication support focuses on management and education rather than direct medical intervention.

THERE IS NO STATUTORY REGISTER OF HOME CARE PROVIDERS IN IRELAND YET, and that is the single most important thing to know before hiring one. HIQA has said plainly that home care and support services are not statutorily regulated. The Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 passed both Houses of the Oireachtas in 2026 and amends the Health Act 2007 to create HIQA registration, a public register, an appeals process and transitional arrangements, and to make providing a home support service without registration an OFFENCE. It is not yet in force — the commencement date is not published and HIQA's national standards for home support are still in development. So in 2026 the checks below are the protection, not a register.

MORE GUIDES

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Medication support workers near you

Medication support workers in DublinMedication support workers in CorkMedication support workers in GalwayMedication support workers in LimerickAll medication support workers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Department of Health — Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 passes both Houses
  2. HIQA — evidence review on homecare and home support services
  3. HSE — Home Support Authorisation Scheme service specifications
  4. CCPC — your rights when you buy a service
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2022
  6. Revenue — NURSING AGENCY — Standard rate
  7. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  8. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only