A young man with autism and cerebral palsy, who started college this week, has faced a setback when his specialized HSE bus transportation was unexpectedly cancelled just three days before the start of the term.
Oisin, who turned 18 over the summer, has found the transition to adult services challenging.
It’s understood that he is one of around 40 individuals affected by the delay, with no alternative transportation options currently offered.
His mother Tanya told Greg Hughes on this morning’s Nine ’til Noon Show that bus was going to be the only familiarity for Oisin starting the new term:
The HSE has confirmed that formal contractual transport arrangements will be provided for those attending Disability Day service units in Donegal within the next three weeks.
In the interim it says, local arrangements, as agreed with the service user and their families will be put in place.
In a statement, the HSE has apologised to service users and their families who have been affected.
It adds that a number of factors have resulted in delays in fulfilling some transport requests.
Full Statement:
The HSE confirms that formal contractual transport arrangements will be provided for those attending Disability Day service units in Donegal and Sligo within the next three weeks. In the interim the HSE will put in place local arrangements to ensure all service users are able to attend their Day Service for this period. These interim arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the service user and their families as a matter of urgency.
The HSE wish to apologise to service users and their families who have been affected by this delay.
The HSE can confirm that all requests are being processed as quickly as possible and we are continuing to liaise with our Local Link partners to expedite the provision of transport for all day service users.
Owing to the large volume of requests for transportation, a number of factors have resulted in delays for some of those who have applied. All requests for transport require considerable assessment and planning and this is due to the organisation of new routes, which were previously not required, financial approval and allowing the relevant transport operators time to work within procurement guidelines.
