Written answers

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Department of Health

Disability Services

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1493. To ask the Minister for Health the support services available from his Department for home support services for persons with autism; his plans to provide additional services and supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33546/21]

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE provides a range of assisted living services including Home Support Services to support individuals to maximise their capacity to live full and independent lives.

Home Support Services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers. The majority of specialised disability provision (80%) is delivered through non-statutory sector service providers.

Services are accessed through an application process or through referrals from public health nurses or other community based staff. Individuals’ needs are evaluated against the criteria for prioritisation for the particular services and then decisions are made in relation to the allocation of resources. Resource allocation is determined by the needs of the individual, compliance with prioritisation criteria, and the level of resources available. As with every service there is not a limitless resource available for the provision of home support services and while the resources available are substantial they are finite. In this context, services are discretionary and the number of hours granted is determined by other support services already provided to the person/family.

In the 2021 National Service Plan (NSP), the HSE’s priority is to continue to deliver high quality Personal Assistance and Home Support Services to 10,000 people with disabilities including 1.71 million PA hours and over 3 million Home Support Hours. This includes the allocation of an additional 40,000 PA hours in accordance with the NSP 2021.

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