Carers get less support despite €10m extra funds
Following the public pledges of extra help, overnight respite hours fell
OVERNIGHT respite hours for family carers are continuing to drop significantly despite Government promises to improve access to services two years ago.
Figures requested by the Irish Mail on Sunday under the Freedom of Information Act show that the number of overnight respite hours accessed by children and adults with a disability dropped by 5,030 hours from 2017 to 2018 when comparing the first nine months of the year.
Figures for the last three months of 2018 are not yet available, according to the HSE.
In December 2017, following widespread outrage over RTÉ’s Prime Time exposé, Carers In Crisis, the Department of Health allocated an additional €10m to respite services which Jim Daly, Junior Minister with special responsibility for Older People, said at the time was to ‘show our recognition and appreciation to carers for the work they do’.
Health Minister Simon Harris also said: ‘I am delighted that we have been able to allocate additional funding to improve respite care services.’
Additional funding was also allocated to enable all carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance to qualify for a GP visit card.
Despite the commitments made, overnight respite hours, which give family carers a much-needed break, have continued to decline.
The number of overnight hours allocated in the first quarter of 2018 was 39,014, a drop of 1,583 hours from 2017’s figure 40,597.
In the second quarter, 40,209 hours were allocated, a drop of 1,426 hours from 41,635 the previous year.
The third quarter saw the largest drop from, 42,798 hours in 2017 to 40,777 in 2018 – a drop of 2,021 hours.
Meanwhile, the number of day-only respite sessions accessed has improved slightly from 2017 by 554 hours. According to the HSE, the provision of residential respite services has come under ‘increased pressure’ in the past number of years.
The reason for this is more adults and children requesting respite due to increased population, increasing complexities across the sector due to better healthcare and an increase in the number of people with disabilities living longer.
The HSE also said that a ‘significant number of beds’ were being used for long-term residential placements.
As a consequence, ‘the numbers of people with disabilities in receipt of residential respite services and the corresponding number of respite nights are down against previous activity’, the HSE said.
It added that new policy specifies a requirement for appropriate personal space for service users in residential care which cut down on bed numbers in designated respite centres.
The HSE said it is ‘very much aware of the importance of respite service provision for the families of both children and adults with disabilities, including the impact the absence of respite service provision can have on other services’.
Catherine Cox, who is spokeswoman for Family Carers Ireland, said: ‘Despite the announcement by Government in December 2017 of an additional €10m specifically aimed at enhancing respite care, the number of overnight respite breaks in the third quarter of 2018 actually decreased by over 2,000 when compared with the same period in 2017.
‘Thousands of family carers are in crisis and respite provision is vital for their mental and physical health and wellbeing and to ensure that they can continue to provide the high levels of care that they do, saving this State €10bn every year.
‘They cannot do this without supports in their community and their homes. Yet again we need to highlight the postcode lottery that exists for supports and services for family carers in Ireland – where you live determines what you will or will not get.
‘Respite provision is fragmented, inconsistent and non-existent in some counties with carers being placed on waiting lists for months and sometimes years. How can a group that have given so much to society, from both a social and economic perspective, be treated so poorly?’
When asked whether Mr Harris would comment on the figures a Department of Health spokeswoman said: ‘As the HSE is responsible for provision of services, this query is more appropriate for their department.’
‘They save the State €10bn every year’