Over a third of people in Donegal who sought respite care in the past year were not facilitated.
640 respite applications were submitted in the past 12 months with 422 of those fulfilled while the remaining 218 people in need of respite care were unable to acquire the services.
The low availability of respite care has been blamed on the closure of beds due to refurbishment works, staffing issues and outbreaks of Covid.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle, a member of the Regional Health Forum says it’s vital the capacity for respite care is increased:
