Full Offaly respite service restoration pledged after meeting with Minister

OFFALY parents of adults with disability are hoping a vital respite service will be restored following a top-level meeting in Tullamore on Monday.

The county's only centre providing respite for families involved in full-time caring roles for adult children was closed earlier this year because of what the HSE and operator Muiriosa Foundation said is a “bed blocking” situation.

The long promised residential respite service for adults with a disability had only opened at a house near Geashill in May but by September it was no longer available to families.

Parents of people with disability, some of whom have been caring for their children for decades and are growing elderly themselves, have been lobbying strongly for the reinstatement of the service.

A parents' representative told the Tribune last week: “The respite is for the families of the person in service, to give them time to draw their breath when they need it.”

“Some of us need caring ourselves because you have some families who only have one parent and others don't have any parent and it's brothers or sisters who are doing the caring.

“The new house came on stream earlier this year and we were hoping that respite would be provided on a regular basis. That was the way it was for the first couple of months and you would get notice and you could plan ahead and take a night or two nights. It was great.”

Parents believe the respite service for up to 50 families, from all over Offaly “from Moneygall up to Edenderry”, was withdrawn because the residence was needed for one person with particularly high needs.

“That affected so many families and the question is how are the HSE going to deal with this and how to give this person extra support without impacting on the normal service users,” said the parent.

“This service is critical for the parents and families of disabled people... Unfortunately there's more people coming now who are in need of the service in latter years.”

The parent said they got support for the campaign to restore the respite from Deputy Barry Cowen and Cllr Peter Ormond.

On Monday Fianna Fail TD Deputy Cowen lined up a meeting with Minister Anne Rabbitte, Minister of State at the Department of Health who has responsibility for disability.

The meeting took place in Deputy Cowen's office in Tullamore and it was attended by the parents' representative and two senior managers from the HSE.

Speaking after the meeting, the parents' representative said they were very grateful to Deputy Cowen and very impressed with Minister Rabbitte's response.

“I was representing the parents and I gave our side of it, which is that over 50 families were depending on the service in Offaly for respite and it was discontinued from the middle of this year,” said the parent.

“The parents are in crisis themselves and need the support and this is something that was promised. We were promised more respite and we wound up with no respite.”

The parent said Minister Rabbitte was very supportive of the case being made.

“She understood what it was like for us and she was very strong in looking at the HSE people and saying 'Look, what are you going to do about it?'”

When Minister Rabbitte was told there were staffing issues, the parent said that was not accepted and the HSE also acknowledged that communication with families had been poor.

According to the parent, a commitment was given to provide a weekend respite service “from now to Christmas” at the centre near Geashill and to have a manager in place there with a view to resuming the full service early in the New Year.

It is understood another respite centre in Tullamore, which is used to accommodate children, may also play a role.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, Siobhan Bryan, Muiriosa chief executive, and Elaine Mulvihill, disability manager, outlined that previously funding had been secured to provide the residential respite service for adults with a disability at the property near Geashill.

Ms Bryan and Ms Mulvihill added: “The Muiriosa Foundation, commissioned to provide this respite service on behalf of the HSE has regrettably faced challenges with recruitment of staff which had an impact on the opening of the respite house.

“The respite house at Ballycollin, did commence operations in May, 2022. To date 40 people have been provided with a respite service from Ballycollin. Regrettably, in September, 2022 a bed blocking situation arose. The HSE and Muiriosa are actively working to identify a solution to reinstate the full operation of the respite service as soon as possible.”

Also on Tuesday, Deputy Cowen said what had happened was unfortunate and everyone was anxious to get it rectified and he hoped that is what will now happen.

“It's essential there's some commitment given to those families so they will be afforded some comfort as to an improving situation for them over the coming months and years,” said the Laois-Offaly TD.

Separately, the meeting with Minister Rabbitte on Monday was told an additional residential centre will be opened in Crinkle and run by Muiriosa for those with needs in the south of the county.