Meath disability respite case
Deputy Munster raises a family in Meath whose disabled child was moved between disability teams and still lacks respite and a waiting-list placement. The Minister says he will ask the relevant Minister of State to examine the case directly.
I want to raise the matter of children with disabilities in County Meath who have been transferred to the south Louth team under the progressing disability services programme. Children who have been transferred to Louth now find they are not on any waiting list in either county. One family who contacted my office applied for respite for their child over three years ago and, despite fighting its case with the HSE for years, have been told Government intervention is required to resolve it. The child is nine years old and has mental and physical disabilities. They were transferred from Enable Ireland to the HSE's disability services in Louth last autumn. Since then, they have received no respite, no home help, no physiotherapy and no speech and language therapy. The family is under enormous stress as a result. What will the Government do to resolve this and ensure every child has access to the care he or she is entitled to?
Comment on this
I can only imagine the stress that the family is under. I will talk directly to the relevant Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte, to ensure the specifics of the case will be looked into. With regard to every child in the country, the way the system operates and the integration of services, not just the amount of resources, often comprise a key issue. I will ask the Minister of State to look into the specifics.