Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this issue. If she had not raised it, I would not have been aware of it. I thank her for bringing my attention to the issue, which means my focus and that of my office are on the matter. She referred to two families that have been directly impacted but it has had a significant impact on many families. For Fran and Mary and their families listening to these proceedings, I am taking on board what has been said about their situation. I acknowledge that it is not acceptable or good enough to ring a person on Wednesday to tell them that after ten years their carer will be changed on Friday.

I will read out my prepared response. We had to go out and find a little bit of information in order that I could answer the question. I know the Deputy has been a strong advocate for people with disabilities. This is not the first time she has raised such issues with me. It is not unusual for her to do so.

As the Deputy knows, responsibility for disabilities is moving from the Department of Health to the reconfigured Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. My hope is that this will ensure a greater focus on disabilities, rather than it being swamped by other issues in the Department of Health. The move will allow for clearer pathways to be developed and ensure progress is made. The Oireachtas is well aware that reform of disability services is ultimately based on the value for money and policy review of disability services in Ireland, published in 2012. It created the strategies that my Department and the HSE are adhering to in the roll-out of these reforms. This has already ensured that more effective services can be delivered to more people and resources can be better targeted to give better quality of care to the people most in need. That does not mean we cannot deliver this in a constructive, empathetic, understanding and informative way. From the cases the Deputy has presented, that does not appear to have happened.

I have been informed by the HSE that following the review of the way in which it delivers home support services in south east community healthcare, a recommendation was made that all home support staff should be aligned to disability services or older persons services, as the Deputy mentioned. This decision is to ensure the services have clear governance, management and communication and are in line with best practice and national guidelines. I believe the HSE has already been in contact with the Deputy regarding a representation she raised in respect of a service user who is affected by the change.

I understand her concerns about this person and the three others with profound disabilities, and their families, who are seeing this long-standing personal assistant, PA, change. The HSE has confirmed that it has contacted by telephone and letter each of the affected people and their families. Each affected person will continue to have the same level of service and there will be a transition period which will involve a shadowing of work for the new PA alongside the existing PA. That has been progress, as opposed to the call they might have got on the Wednesday about a change on a Friday. I see the Deputy shake her head, so obviously she will tell me that might not have changed.

We also keen to minimise disruption during this time. However, the HSE has been advised that if the families of the people concerned or the Deputy wish to review the situation, they can contact the head of disability services for the area. The HSE is committed to working closely with service users and their families, and this relationship helps work towards further enhancing service delivery for the benefit of the people. It is regrettable that it did not contact the families first before it entered into this process. To think that we are having a discussion after rolling out the process and bringing about such change at this level is very upsetting and traumatic for people who have been through such a frustrating time.

See this speech in context