Written Answers. - Services for Handicapped Persons.
Noel Ahern
Ceist:
357
Mr. N. Ahern
asked the
Minister for Health
if he will give details of the current Eastern Health Board waiting lists for day services and residential services for adults and children, early services for children and training places for young adults; the way in which these figures compare with the figures for the years 1990 to 1992 inclusive; the additional resources, if any, which have been committed in 1993; the effect achieved; the resources to be committed for 1994; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is assumed that the Deputy's question refers to services for people with a mental handicap. From information currently available within the Eastern Health Board region the number of people with a mental handicap awaiting services for the years 1991, 1992 and 1993 is as follows:
|
1991
|
1992
|
1993
|
|
Day Services
|
|
|
|
|
Children
|
106
|
73
|
68
|
|
Adults
|
111
|
55
|
57
|
|
Training
|
|
|
|
|
Adults
|
362
|
359
|
326
|
|
Residential Services
|
|
|
|
|
Children
|
34
|
44
|
37
|
|
Adults
|
554
|
579
|
522
|
|
Childrens Early Services
|
14
|
14
|
3
|
Comparable information is not available for 1990.
What is not clear, however, from the information available to my Department is the proportion of those on waiting lists who require immediate placement and the level of care they require. Nor does it indicate those who with the provision of other services such as day services or home support services may not immediately require residential placement or those who at some stage in the future will require residential care. At present my Department is involved in discussions with the health boards and voluntary agencies providing services to people with mental handicap concerning the establishment of a database. This system will provide information, on an ongoing basis, on the numbers of people with mental handicap in each region, the number in services and awaiting services, their current and future needs and the level of support which is required to meet those needs.
I would like to inform the Deputy that an additional £8.5 million was made available in 1993 for the development of services for people with a mental handicap. Of the additional funding, £4 million was allocated to the health board regions from which £1.750 million was allocated to the eastern region. This is in addition to the £2.650 million made available to the region last year for the development of services for people with mental handicap which is being repeated this year.
The actual additional services being put in place in the Eastern region include ten emergency places, 30 residential places (including respite care), 65 day care places and extended home support services. Provision was also made in respect of the commissioning of additional facilities in the Daughters of Charity Services, Navan Road and towards the improvement of services in St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane.
A further £2 million was made available to strengthen the budgets of direct funded mental handicap agencies and to meet some essential service needs. As many of these agencies provide services in more than one health board area, it is not possible to say how much of the additional money is going to each area. A high percentage, however, would have been used in the Eastern Health Board area.
Provision was also made for the capital investment necessary to support the initiatives being put in place this year. The allocation of the £2.500 million capital, of which £850,000 was allocated to the Eastern region, was directly related to the service developments agreed by the Regional Mental Handicap Planning Committee and approved by my Department.
The additional resources to be approved in 1994 for the development of services for people with mental handicap will be the subject of discussions with the Minister for Finance in the context of the budgetary arrangements for 1994.
