Woodlawn House in Dungannon. Credit: Google
The lack of better provision of respite care in the Southern Trust The area was raised in a council chamber by the aunt of a young adult with complex needs.
Councilor Nuala McLernon delivered an impassioned plea at Mid Ulster District Council's monthly meeting last Thursday (March 28).
The Sinn Fรฉin representative to the Torrent DEA explained that her own sister, a single mother, is one of those caregivers, as the mother of a young adult with complex needs.
He also recalled that Woodlawn House, a Southern HSC Trust facility with eight beds in Dungannon โ was repurposed at short notice before last Christmas, leading to the cancellation of the respite service for several families.
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Cllr McLernonโs petition came in the form of a motion, worded as follows: โThis council recognizes the inadequate provision of respite services for adults with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behavior within the Southern Trust area.
โRecognizes that in the Dungannon area of โโMid Ulster District Council, the only facility offering short breaks for people over the age of 18 with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behaviors is an eight-bed facility at Woodlawn House, Dungannon .
โIt notes with deep regret the occasion that arose before Christmas 2023, which resulted in the Southern Health & Social Care Trust canceling families' respite provision at short notice.
โIt further recognizes that the provision of respite is not a luxury, but a necessity for unpaid carers in our community.
โIt further notes that demand for services is increasing year on year, with more children with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behaviors entering adult services.
โIt recognizes the hard work and dedication of staff members at Woodlawn House in Dungannon and all Trust area staff who work with adults with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behaviour.
โIt accepts the need to address the inadequate provision of adult respite services at the Southern Health & Social Care Trust, and the need for advance planning, additional investment in and protection of these services.
โCall on the Health Minister to develop a plan that addresses the lack of adult respite services in the Mid-Ulster District Council area.
"And it also calls on the Minister of Health to make additional investments in these services, to ensure that families can take advantage of a more regular, protected respite provision without risk of cancellation."
Introducing the notice of motion at the monthly meeting, Cllr McLernon said: โThe issue of the lack of respite services for adults with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behavior has been well known to me in the chamber since I was elected.
โI know first-hand the importance of these services and the fact that respite care is not a luxury for unpaid carers, but a necessity. It's a lifesaver.
โMy own nephew, at the age of three, was unfortunate enough to succumb to a virus called encephalitis, which left him with brain damage, damage to the frontal temporal lobe and severe epilepsy.
โNow, as an adult, my nephew suffers from learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behaviours.
โMy sister, his mother, a single mother, provides the best care she can give to her son every day, but because she has an unpaid career, she needs help.
โLike many others, respite provision for adults with complex needs and challenging behaviors is the help they need.
โHaving this respite allows them to do small day-to-day activities that we all take for granted, such as going for a walk, shopping, having coffee with friends or simply relaxing and recharging. of their daily care responsibilities.
โLast year before Christmas we heard how the eight-bed facility in Woodlawn, which offers short breaks of around a week for people with learning disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviours, was unable to provide this service because such Services had to be reoriented towards intensive individual support.
โThis was a huge blow to the families who depended on this service. Being told on short notice that his replacement had been canceled was heartbreaking.
โAs I said previously, this is not a criticism of Woodlawn House or its staff. In fact, I cannot praise them enough for their work and dedication to service users.
โThis is the second time this incident has arisen within the Southern Trust, affecting Woodlawn House service users.
โIt clearly shows the inadequate provision of respite services for adults with complex needs, challenging behaviors within the Trust area and the need for greater investment in these services.
โAs stated in the letter received from the Southern Trust, they too have said there is a demand for these services.
โCurrently the eight-bed facility we have at Woodland House is not sufficient. As more and more children with learning difficulties, complex needs and challenging behavior leave children's services at the age of 18 and enter adult services, how can an eight-bed facility cope with this demand? A demand that will increase year after year?
โHow can all those families take advantage of a regular respite service and the lifeline they need?
โFor too long there has been underinvestment in adult respite provision, and we need the Minister of Health to prioritize these services, to ensure families can take advantage of more regular respite and a service that can cope with demand.โ .
โWe need to see additional investment from the Department of Health and more forward planning, so that regular supply is available.
โWe need these services to be protected and not at risk of cancellation.
โIf the current situation continues, unpaid carers in our district will be among the first to pay the price โ and that cannot happen. They can no longer be the last to receive the help they need.
โThe current situation must be worrying for unpaid carers and families who are constantly worrying about something happening, such as an unforeseen illness or bereavement.
โWhat would happen to their loved ones? What would they do? Who would take care of them?
โFor all those unpaid carers in our community who rely heavily on these services and who need a voice to defend them, I would ask all councilors here this afternoon to support this motion.โ
Chairman of Mid Ulster District Council, Councilor Dominic Molloy (Sinn Fรฉin, Dungannon DEA), commented that the Southern Trust had been slow to respond to an initial letter outlining the council's concerns: โThe most alarming thing is that it is taken from a letter published on July 31. last year to receive a response in February.
โTo me this rings the alarm in terms of how the Trust would address these issues.โ
Councilor Deirdre Varsani (Sinn Fรฉรญn, Dungannon DEA) spoke in support of the motion: โI would like to support the motion and just add briefly to what Cllr McLernon has said.
โHaving spent 25 years in the education sector, it is sometimes heartbreaking to hear how families struggle to get a break, a little time to perhaps care for other children, or have some time for themselves and receive care.โ appropriate for their children. children who have additional needs, which is not an easy task in itself, as mentioned earlier in the room.
"This is a highly skilled area, it can't be done by a random caretaker, so it's kind of a niche area."
Also strongly agreeing with the sentiment of the motion notice was Councilor Clement Cuthbertson (DUP, Dungannon DEA): โI know it is an issue that has been raised a number of times, including when the Trust was here a couple of months ago.
โI am happy to support him. โIt is something that needs to be addressed and is invaluable to families who find themselves in that situation.โ
Councilor Barry Monteith (Independent, Dungannon DEA) praised Cllr McLernon for raising this issue regularly: โI congratulate Cllr McLernon for bringing this forward tonight and other nights.
โWe're probably going to have to turn up the heat on this. The sad thing about this is that the love that caregivers have for those they care for is exploited and taken advantage of in these situations, because they know that these people will find a way to cope.
โMany of us in this room take for granted the ability to plan a weekend outing or a holiday with the rest of the family and things like that. This is simply not possible [for carers].
โWithout a doubt we need many more beds. โI believe everyone in this chamber will fully support the sentiments of the motion.โ
Councilor Malachy Quinn (SDLP, Torrent DEA) explained that he also has family members who require constant care: โI have two aunts with learning difficulties. My father is their caretaker. I know how difficult it is for him on a daily basis to continue caring for them, especially as he gets older, but he is very lucky to have very strong family support around him. His brothers, his sisters, his own family and many people with learning difficulties have great support, but unfortunately, as Cllr Monteith said, the system takes advantage of that.
โI know many people who need a break, who need a break, it is not an easy task, no matter how much you love those you are caring for.โ
Deputy chairman of Mid Ulster District Council, Councilor Meta Graham (UUP, Clogher Valley DEA), said the provision of respite care varied from trust to trust.
โIn fact, there is wholly inadequate service provision for adults with learning disabilities, complex needs and challenging behavior within the Southern Trust area, and there is also a huge difference in what is offered across different Trusts.
โI personally know of a number of groups that have arisen due to the lack of facilities offered by the Trust, who are doing everything they can to try to close the gaps, but unfortunately too many people are inevitably left behind.
"So the UUP is happy to support the motion."
There was unanimous support for the notice of motion, something Cllr McLernon said she was delighted about: โI would just like to thank the councilors here tonight for their contributions and comments, and for supporting this motion.
โThis is an emotive issue for unpaid carers in our communities, and for them, seeing this motion passed here tonight unanimously will give them some reassurance that we have their back.โ
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