Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

3. To ask the Minister for Health when the additional respite facilities for persons with disabilities and their families announced in the HSE service plan will be in place and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17266/18]

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Whatever about the Wicklow presence, it is great to see a strong west Cork presence here this morning as well. When will the additional respite facilities for individuals with disabilities and their families announced in the HSE service plan be in place?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Deputy Murphy O'Mahony will have to accept me as a substitute for the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who is in New York for the signing of a UN convention.

The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, as well as enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. We are particularly committed to providing a range of accessible respite care supports for people with a disability and their families.

This year the HSE's disability budget is more than €1.7 billion, an increase of €92 million on last year. This year the HSE will provide in excess of 182,000 respite nights and 42,500 day respite sessions to families in need throughout the country. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and I acknowledge the absolute need for increased respite care throughout the country. That is why we secured an additional €10 million specifically to enhance respite care. This funding will provide extra facilities and we are also planning to provide a range of alternative respite options to families. The HSE needs to ensure a robust procurement process is followed and new facilities will need to be registered with HIQA. Recruitment is already under way to ensure services can come into operation as early as possible. These are badly needed and much anticipated.

A national task group has been put in place to implement these measures. This year we will deliver 12 new dedicated respite houses at a cost of €8 million. Houses will continue to come on stream over the coming months. This will ensure one new respite house in each HSE community health organisation, CHO, area plus three in the greater Dublin area. It will increase capacity by 19,000 respite nights in a full year.

I am informed by the HSE that work is progressing well with regard to tenders, completion of any capital works, recruitment and HIQA registration. In the past month, one house opened in Kerry, additional capacity has come on stream in Athlone, and in the past week a further house has opened in north County Dublin. There are commercial sensitivities with regard to the procurement of houses and respite services. Until contracts are signed, I am unable to provide more precise details at this time. However, I expect we will be able to announce where the remaining houses will be located and the target date for their opening in the coming weeks.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Both the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and I, receive monthly updates on progress and we are eager to ensure that targets are met.

The HSE is also looking at innovative respite solutions. We have committed €2 million for this purpose. These alternative solutions include home respite, Saturday and evening clubs, summer camps and many other flexible, family and child-centred respite options. An extra 250 people will benefit from this type of respite break in 2018. We all need a break, and I hope that this range of initiatives will help families and be a valuable social outlet to service users throughout the country.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Carers are unsung heroes. In my constituency in west Cork, I deal with them every day. When there is a lack of respite facilities, the fatigue they go through as a result is unreal. The Minister is aware that what is happening in west Cork is happening throughout the country. All carers feel the same fatigue, the same hurt and the same sense of helplessness. I am sure the Minister read in last weekend's Sunday Independent, the story of Noeleen Cullen. There is a Noeleen in every constituency. She said, "I badly need more respite services for the sake of my mental health and to get my energy back." In the same article, the general manager of community health care disability services in south Dublin, Kildare, and west Wicklow, said:

[R]espite services are running on reduced capacity due to budgetary restrictions. Currently, families receive respite mid-week and not weekends. The respite is usually of between two to four nights as the budget cannot meet full demand.

I know everything comes back to money but I hope the Minister can see the need for these respite houses to be up and running.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Not only do I see the need, I am determined we address it. We will provide 19,000 extra respite care nights this year. That is a large increase and has been welcomed by carers. However, they want to see the houses open and so do I. These houses will start to come on stream. We hope to be able to announce locations and target opening dates for all these houses in the coming weeks. Several of them have opened already which is important.

I outlined what we are doing with €8 million of the €10 million allocation. The other €2 million will be used for alternative solutions, including home respite, Saturday and evening clubs. Often a carer wants a break for a few hours to do the shopping or have a much-needed rest. We are also looking at family and child-centred respite options as well as summer camps. An extra 250 people will benefit from this type of respite break in 2018. We all need a break, and most importantly carers need a break from the incredible work they do.

We will be introducing legislation shortly, which I am sure will receive cross-party support, to provide free GP care for all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carer's benefit.

Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is important to point out that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work for carers. What one carer may need might be different from what another may need. It is important we do not make suggestions that would lead to such an approach. Each person and each family have to be taken for their own case.

In February, a reply to a parliamentary question I received indicated that 40 beds would be delivered in the first and second quarters of 2018. As we are now in the second quarter, will the Minister outline how many of these beds are in place and in which CHOs they are located? I do not expect the full 43 to have been rolled out but will the Minister give an update on the progress made? Given the geographical spread of the CHOs, is there a strong case for new facilities in each, especially outside of the capital, as everything should not be Dublin centred?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct. Every CHO will receive one new respite house or facility this year. For some that will involve capital works to upgrade existing facilities, while for others it will involve the procurement, purchase or even construction of a new respite care centre. That is why there are tender processes in some CHOs. So far, two houses have opened in Kerry and north County Dublin as well as additional respite capacity in Athlone. There are commercial sensitivities regarding procurement for the remaining houses and the signing of contracts. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and I will be in a position to update the House in the coming weeks as to their location and their target date for opening.

I agree with the Deputy that one size does not fit all. For some families, it would be a night's break involving a respite care centre where the loved one can go for a night and get a break too. For others, it will be the Saturday club, the evening club, the summer camp or in-home respite. In addition to every CHO getting one new facility, plus three more for the greater Dublin region, we will have €2 million for these new flexible respite options. As we are getting monthly reports tracking this issue, I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, and the HSE to keep the Deputy informed. I believe this will make a substantial difference this year.