Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Disability Services
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1196. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to detail the respite services available to persons with neurological disabilities in County Meath. [46826/24]
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
1197. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to upgrade disability services in line with need in County Meath. [46827/24]
Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
At a national level, the Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026, published in December 2023, is a strategy for the expansion of disability services to meet expected demographic change, as well as unmet need. The Plan was developed on foot of the publication of the Disability Capacity Review. In July 2021, the Government published the Disability Capacity Review to 2032 – A Review of Social Care Demand and Capacity Requirements to 2032.. This review forecasted the demand for disability services to the year 2032 by analysing demographic trends and unmet need.
The headline developments planned for the 2024-2026 period of the Action Plan are:
Children’s Disability Services:
- Around 600 extra WTE staff for Children’s Disability Network Teams 2024-2026 to address vacant posts, build capacity, deliver timely access to early intervention and multidisciplinary supports, and ensure continuity of services
Adult Multidisciplinary Therapies:
- Additional 222 posts in specialist adult therapy services
- Develop a nationwide network of neuro-rehabilitation services including managed community rehabilitation networks as the community-based specialist tier
Adult Day Services:
- On average around 1,200 additional day service places each year to ensure places for school leavers who require them
Personal Assistance and Home Support:
- 800,000 additional Personal Assistance hours, and 110,000 additional Home Support hours
Respite Services:
- Continued expansion of respite services, including alternative residential options
Residential Services:
- 500 new community-based residential care places to replace disability care in large institutional and campus-based settings, with a view to ending that form of provision by 2030
- Around 900 additional residential care places to tackle unmet needs and ensure supply keeps pace with demographic change
- Increase support for people with disabilities to access supported independent living
- Provision of supports to live at home, in order to phase out long-term care in a nursing home for younger people with disabilities.
Implementation of the service-expansion aims of the Plan is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE)
Since its publication, the Plan has been supported by significant investment. In 2024, €74m was provided for New Development Measures (NDM) to help support its delivery ,whilst in 2025, NDM funding of €42m has been provided for disability services. However, for the first time, the funding provided to maintain Existing Levels of Service (ELS) will provide for service expansion due to demographic growth, in addition to funding provided for new developments. This funding for demographic growth will also help support Action Plan aims. The precise level of service to be provided from the 2025 allocation has been set out by the HSE in its National Service Plan for 2025.
With respect to service developments in the Meath region, I have asked the HSE to respond to the Deputy directly.
No comments