Mr. Ivan Cooper:

I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for the invitation to speak about the review of the role of voluntary organisations in health and social services. As director of public policy for The Wheel, I am delighted to have an opportunity to present our position on the subject. I am joined by Mr. Austin O’Sullivan, who is director of resources with WALK, which is a long-standing member of The Wheel. Before I introduce the members of the committee to The Wheel, I want to make it clear at the outset that The Wheel strongly supports the recommendations made in the independent review group report. We believe the implementation of these recommendations will bring us closer to an optimised health service that focuses on maximising individual and community health. When the recommendations are implemented, they will enable community and voluntary organisations to work in partnership with statutory funders to maximise the responsiveness and innovation they can bring to services.

The Wheel is Ireland’s national association of community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises. It has more than 1,600 member organisations, which employ over 35,000 people and involve over 45,000 volunteers in delivering services and supports across the country every day. At least 150 of our member organisations are funded by the HSE under the provisions of sections 38 and 39 of the Health Act 2004, with which members of the committee will be familiar. They are among more than 800 organisations in total that are funded by the HSE to deliver services, thereby forming a key part of our national health and personal social service infrastructure. These organisations support people, including people with disabilities and medical conditions, older people and children, to live independent lives and to realise their potential. Many of these organisations were established through the initiative and advocacy of self-organising communities when no statutory services were provided.

Despite the long-standing role many of these organisations have played, they are facing challenges which limit or in some cases prevent them from carrying out their vital work. Inadequate budgets and annual funding structures do not facilitate long-term service development. The increasingly demanding general regulatory environment is diverting time and resources away from front-line services. The compliance and reporting system is increasingly oriented towards financial compliance rather than effective service outcomes. Relationships with the HSE are becoming increasingly contract-determined rather than collaborative. Commissioning and contracting processes put community and voluntary providers at an inherent disadvantage compared to private sector providers. In many cases, these trends are resulting in our member organisations being unable to meet service demands and maintain the responsive, innovative and person-centred approach that has characterised the sector.

The report proposes a range of practical and urgently needed solutions which would address these issues while improving the relationship between the State and the sector to ensure better outcomes for all. The authors listened attentively and took a great deal of care in reaching balanced conclusions. In addition to addressing the issues I have identified, those conclusions identified many areas for improvement in the practice of community and voluntary organisations. Although these changes will present challenges, I can assure the committee that the sector will not shrink from implementing them. We would like to bring some key recommendations in the report to the attention of the committee.

Key recommendations include that a forum for regular dialogue between relevant Departments and the sector be implemented; that a charter for a new relationship between the sector and the State focused on collaboratively developing world-class services be produced; that an agreement be reached on essential services to be fully funded and mapped throughout the country; that service agreements be simplified and duplication in reporting avoided; that multi-annual budgeting be introduced to enable organisations to plan for the long term; that a system to manage deficits be established; and that governance training and supports for smaller organisations be provided.

Finally, the Wheel believes that the forum on the independent review group's report, which is now in the initial stages of planning, offers a very valuable structure to advance and implement the report’s recommendations. This will be a key means to renew trust and improve collaborative working between all stakeholders. The terms of reference for the forum should be transparent and open to consultation from representatives of organisations delivering services. I will now pass to my colleague, Mr. O'Sullivan, director of resources for WALK.