A Review of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Disability Services in Ireland is being undertaken as part of the Government’s Value for Money Reviews for 2009-2011. This in-depth review of disability services will assess how well current services for people with disabilities meet their objectives and support the future planning and development of services. The evaluation will focus on the current provision of disability services and explore the way forward for the development of services within a value for money and policy framework. The objectives of the review are to:
Examine disability services in Ireland funded by the Health Service Executive, including the statutory and non-statutory sectors;
Deliver a comprehensive analysis of data in relation to services and service providers; and
Review current policy objectives and provide policy objectives for future service provision.
A Steering Group has been established to oversee the VFMPR and has met six times, and attended a workshop on policy issues. The Steering Group is chaired by an independent chairperson, Mr. Laurence Crowley, and has two other independent members, as well as members drawn from the Disability Sector, Department of Health and Children, the Department of Finance and the HSE. A Project Team and a Policy Expert Reference Group reporting to the Steering Group meet on a regular basis to progress the work of the review. Steady progress is being made with the review, however some slippage in terms of the expected end date has occurred because of the breadth and complexities of the services under review. Difficulties have also been experienced in accessing data essential to the progress of the review due to industrial action affecting the Health Service Executive. I expect that substantial progress on completing the overall Review will have been made by the end of this year.
A public consultation process was undertaken in late 2009 and attracted almost 200 responses from a wide variety of respondents including service users, family members and service providers. The Project Team has provided a report to the Steering Group on a statistical analysis of the responses. A thematic analysis of the responses is nearing completion and a final report on the consultation is being drafted. The National Disability Authority (NDA) also conducted 15 focus group consultations with people with disabilities, their families, advocates and frontline service providers in March 2010 to inform its advice to the review. I understand that the NDA is currently formulating an Advice Paper incorporating the results of the consultation, together with other relevant research.
The Policy Expert Reference Group is nearing completion of a report to the Steering Group on a new policy framework for the provision of disability services and has taken cognisance of the findings of the public consultation process in developing this policy framework. A further structured consultation process with all stakeholders, including service users and their families, will be an integral part of bringing the policy review to finality. The draft report from the Policy Expert Group is expected in September.
