Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North West Michael Moynihan says the government are letting down families in Cork as they fail to deliver promises made on respite care.
“Respite services across north Cork have reached crisis levels which have only grown as little to no new respite places are being offered. I have raised my concerns and the concerns of my constituents with the Minister for Health once again.
“It is heart-breaking to hear some of the situations that parents are being expected to cope with, particularly the parents of children with intellectual disabilities.
“Workers in the sector have told me that funding for respite care is not being made available by the HSE to the regions and that the government is unable to deal with the crisis facing it. They also claim that access to care has been completely shut down to new applicants.
“In the latest figures revealed to me, nationally, the number of overnights (with or without day respite) accessed by people with a disability only increased marginally by 72 hours in 2018 compared to 2017
“Living with a son, daughter, parent or sibling with special needs is a 24/7 role. The provision of respite is absolutely vital to the carer for their own physical and mental health. Families are being abandoned by Fine Gael and this is another disappointing, frustrating example”, concluded Deputy Moynihan.
