Dara Calleary
Question:52. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Health when he expects health and social care services for persons with disabilities to be fully restored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23429/20]
View answerTuesday, 15 September 2020
Questions (52)
Written answers
Health and social care responses to the current public health emergency are under continuing review. The HSE have developed a number of working groups to plan and develop guidance on how we will be able to deliver supports, albeit in a new way and under the Public Health guidance. This includes groups on children’s services, adult day services and respite.
The vast majority of day services have now reopened with the remainder due to reopen over the coming weeks. When day services resume, capacity in day service locations will be reduced, however, the HSE and service providers will keep this measure under review and as public health guidance evolves, capacity to provide supports will adapt accordingly. Both the HSE and service providers are committed to maximising the support that can be provided within these restrictions.
At the end of July, the HSE issued the Guidance to Support Resumption of Children’s Disability’s Services to its individual Community Healthcare Organizations. The Guidance clearly maps the pathway to access of services and supports.
The HSE’s A Safe Return to Health Services outlines a three phased approach to the return of health and social care services. This plan states that short-stay residential and emergency/residential respite will begin to re-open from July to August with activity increasing in the next two phases September – November and December 2020 to February 2021. The main assumption underpinning this schedule is the level of illness and health service pressure caused by COVID-19. If this increases in later surges, the timelines in this document will change.