Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte, on July 4, announced the timeline for delivery of 9 new Respite Houses for children with disabilities.
The provision of the houses is included in the HSE 2021 National Service plan, totalling an expenditure of €5.5 million, which was committed to in Budget 2021.
“One of my key commitments over the past 12 months has been to bolster the level of respite in all its forms for children with disabilities across the country. Part of this was a commitment to provide funding to the HSE to develop an additional high-quality, respite centre in each Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO). I am delighted to announce the progress made in delivering each of these over the course of the next six months.” said Minister Rabbitte.
“I have met with many service users, families, and providers, and know how important respite can be for relieving pressure and increasing quality of life. That is why I secured an additional €5m in Budget 2021 to specifically enhance respite provision for people with a disability and their families.”
“I am very grateful to the hard work of the HSE who, in addition to facing time challenges associated with procurement, were facing unprecedented difficulties around the COVID-19 surge earlier this year, coupled with the need to prioritise the vaccination rollout, as well as dealing with the impact of the criminal cyber-attack on HSE systems and communications.”
