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

I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I agree with him. For context, we are discussing this since May 2021. I am advised that the then chief officer of HSE community healthcare Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, Sligo established an independently chaired strategic working group, SWG, in line with objective 5 of the HSE corporate plan 2021-2024, which is to "work to reimagine disability services, to be the most responsive, person-centred model achievable with greater flexibility and choice for the service user."

The SWG was also tasked with the implementation of service reviews including those in the national independent review panel's Brandon report, which included two recommendations. Recommendation one was the establishment of a strategic working group tasked with developing a new vision for disability services in this area in line with national policy and this working group should be charged with re-designing disability services in this area and developing a road map for achieving this new vision. Recommendation two was that this strategic working group should design services based on a social and human rights-based model of service provision for people with disability.

Nationally, HSE community operations established a safety risk management oversight team, SRMT, to oversee the work of this group. The national SRMT was chaired by the then HSE's chief operations officer. The independent chair of the SWG reported to the chief officer for the CHO, who, in turn, reported to the national SRMT. The SWG progressed two key strands of work, namely service improvement and service redesign. The new vision for disability services was reflected in the service redesign strand for disability services in the CHO. The vision is in line with national policy, based on a social and human rights model of service provision for people with a disability.

A range of key service improvements and service redesign actions have been undertaken over the period May 2021 to October 2024. Due to the progress made on the actions set out under the service improvement and service redesign strands, the national HSE SRMT decided that it had completed its work in September 2023.

In addition, it was assured that the CHO's disability services self advocacy strategy and sustainability plan would continue to ensure the implementation of the vision for disability services. As such, the governance and oversight responsibility for disability services in the CHO was transferred to the chief officer. It was decided that the independently chaired SWG would continue to operate with a review to take place in quarter 4 of 2024 to coincide with the roll out of the new HSE health region and integrated health area structures under Sláintecare.

The CHO disability services self-advocacy strategy, which has an accompanying implementation plan, was launched in December 2023.

The self-advocacy strategy considers the barriers that individuals face when advocating for themselves and sets out the future direction for enabling the participation of adults with disabilities using the service through effective self-advocacy. Self-advocacy groups and networks are increasingly being established throughout all areas of disability services. Earlier this year I requested that Colm Lehane, independent chair of the strategic working group tasked with the development of a new vision for disability services in the community healthcare area for Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo, prepare a high-level report for me on disability services in the area. The primary objective of this report is to provide an independent and objective assessment of safeguarding structures and processes in place in the CHO. In the context of the Brandon report, this report will address whether the recommendations outlined in the report and associated reports - of which there are a lot - have been implemented by the HSE in CHO 1. I expect the final report in due course.

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