Dr. Emer Begley:

Mr. Alford spoke about his relationship with his key worker and how that is fundamental. As has been raised already, it is near crisis in terms of workforce. There may be a budget for a home support package but finding staff who can deliver that is increasingly difficult. We see it among members in the service-providing space of DFI. There is supply across all areas of appropriately trained and skilled staff but voluntary organisations and section 39s are competing with statutory organisations. It is the same pool of people everybody is drawing from but those who cannot offer the same terms and conditions are at a major disadvantage. The relationship with the disabled person is important and we hear from disabled people of massive concerns about the sustainability of the supports they are getting. They also care about the people they work with and want to support them. That is an ongoing concern relevant to all of these conversations.