Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2019
9. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Health the reason for the significant fall in the number of overnights, with or without day respite care, accessed by persons with a disability in the Cork South Lee local health office area since 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41226/19]
View answerThis question relates to the provision of overnight respite care beds for people with a disability, both children and adults, in particular in CHO 4, Cork South Lee. The figures which I will outline do not paint a good picture. I seek an explanation for them and to know what will be done to reverse the trend of the number of respite care beds falling.
The Government’s ongoing priority is the safeguarding of vulnerable persons in the care of the health service. We are committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives.
As part of its ongoing service provision, this year the HSE national service plan set a target of over 180,000 overnight and 42,500 day respite care sessions to be provided for families in need across the country. The HSE has advised that there are changes to the models of service, including respite care, being provided in the Cork South Lee area, specifically, the number of overnights with or without day respite care accessed by persons with a disability. The changes to the models of service being provided have not been reflected in data captured for key performance indicator, KPI, returns. The greatest variable in the KPI information relates to children's respite care services provided by the Brothers of Charity. In 2015 a respite care Home Share project was developed as an alternative model to the traditional respite care service. It allows children to spend time with host families in a home from home environment. This new model of respite care support is proving very popular and a number of children receive more than the 30 nights annual provision, but that is not reflected in the current KPI returns. Home Share was extended to provide significant levels of support for families through a continuum of care provided by an alternative family. This, in turn, has reduced the number of children who require residential respite care to those with higher complex needs.
CHO 4 opened a respite care house in west Cork in December 2018. It accepts referrals from across County Cork.
I thank the Minister of State for the reply. What he seems to be saying is the data Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony received by way of a reply to a parliamentary question do not capture all of the respite care overnights. If that is the case, it is inexplicable. The data I have for the Cork South Lee area are that in 2015 there were 4,084 respite care overnights. In 2018 that number had fallen to just over 2,500. That represents a fall of 38% between 2015 and 2018 and the figure is falling again this year. The Minister of State spoke about a change to the model of care. The provision of respite care in Cork is appalling. It is literally only provided in emergency cases where families simply cannot continue. That is the reality. The hard figures I have in front of me show a 38% fall in the number of respite care overnights. This reply to a parliamentary question does not indicate anything about a change to the model of care and it not being captured in the data. If respite care overnights are being provided in a family setting, it should be set out in the data, but it is not.
I take the Deputy's point and also the point about the data. We have to get to the bottom of that matter and I give a commitment that I will do so. Also, if there are particular needs in the Cork area, I will absolutely deal with them. The reality is that we have been investing in respite care services for the past three years. I will travel to Naas in two weeks' time to open our 12th respite care house, just to let Deputy O'Loughlin know. I have not yet picked a date.
We have been waiting for it to be opened.
Nationally, the investment in residential, respite care and home services in the past three years has been amazing, but if there are particular gaps in counties, I will listen to the position on them. At national level, the HSE received funding of €5 million to support the development of respite care services. That funding was subsequently allocated among community health organisations in the form of 12 respite care houses. As I mentioned, a new respite care house run by Kerry Parents and Friends Association was opened in March 2018. The one in west Cork was opened in December 2018. On alternative respite care services, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare received in the region of €220,000. I accept the Deputy's point that we first need to get the data right. If there are particular gaps in Cork, we need to look at them also.
There certainly are particular gaps. Looking at the text of the reply, in addition to the data provided in the table, it acknowledges that there has been reduced provision of respite care overnights. It refers to unmet needs and growing demand. It states beds that had been available to provide respite care in some cases have been transferred for use as long-term residential placements. That is the reality. The numbers are falling. There has been a 38% drop in three years in CHO 4. I raise the wider issue. If we look at all of the metrics and all of the waiting lists, particularly for disability services, the waiting times for assessment for children with special needs and the lack of therapy interventions, CHO 4 seems to be an outlier. Does the HSE and the Minister's Department carry out any performance measurement of the way different CHO areas are performing because to me CHO 4 does not seem to be a strong performer? Again, this is borne out by the evidence given in the reply to a parliamentary question.
I mentioned respite care services. In the context of the budget announced yesterday, in 2020 we will spend approximately €2 billion on social care services. There is a fundamental question to be asked. If there are particular parts of the country - the Deputy is talking about CHO 4 - that are not receiving the relevant services, that is an issue I will examine and monitor closely. I will come back to the Deputy with more details, but the bottom line is we have to see the money invested to deliver respite care services. We cannot have a situation where that is not the case in some counties. I am aware that in Dublin hundreds of letters are sent to parents every day offering extra respite care provision.
The Minister of State could send a few to Cork.
That is happening in Dublin. To answer the Deputy's question, the position in CHO 4 has to be looked at and I will do so.
Question No. 10 in the name of Deputy Jonathan O'Brien will be taken by Deputy Buckley.
