Yet another deadline for the resumption of respite services at Riverwalk House in Carndonagh has been missed.
The HSE previously said the services would be reinstated in March. That was then pushed back until September.
Now, the HSE says due to ongoing staffing issues it is working towards a recommencement date in the last quarter of this year.
Councillor Albert Doherty is to raise the matter at today’s meeting of the Regional Health Forum West and has requested Donegal Deputy Padraig Mac Lochlainn to raise matters it with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke.
Councillor Doherty says families in Inishowen continue to be failed amid these continuous delays:
HSE Response:
‘Respite services have not yet resumed at Riverwalk Respite House. The HSE Human Resources (HR) department, supported by Disability Services, is working to address the staffing issues so that respite services at Riverwalk House can recommence as soon as possible.
The current staff complement at Riverwalk Respite House consists of a Clinical Nurse Manager, three staff nurses and three healthcare assistants (HCAs). There are two nursing posts to be recruited to in addition to two Health Care Assistant posts as well as recruitment to a residential centre to which existing Riverwalk Respite House staff have been redeployed.
There are a number of posts going through the approval process at the moment and recruitment will progress as soon as approval for these posts is received.
Recruitment to the relevant posts remains challenging. Applicant numbers are low and one applicant for a nursing post subsequently withdrew acceptance of the post. There is an acknowledged national and international shortage of health and social care professionals with the necessary qualifications and experience. A number of health care professional roles, including registered nurses, are included on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s Critical Skills Occupations List.
In addition, a workforce planning review has been completed to assess staffing requirements to extend respite provision in Riverwalk Respite House to five days per week. Approval of additional resources will be required to enable this extension.
In the meantime, centre based respite continues to be provided at Ballymacool Respite House, Letterkenny and Seaview Respite House, Mountcharles and service users from the Inishowen area are being accommodated for respite at these facilities, where possible.’
