Aoife McGerty and her mum Maureen are unhappy with the cuts RMG68
A DERRYLIN mother has blasted the Western Trust’s underspending on adult learning disability services to the tune of £8 million.
Maureen McGerty says she has been fighting for years to access services for her daughter Aoife (18) who has Down’s Syndrome.
The underfunding on services for people with learning disabilities was discovered in a report carried out by the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) last year. The HSCB review has not yet been published however its findings were shared at a recent meeting between senior managers within the Western Health and Social Care Trust, parent carers groups and community organisations.
The deficit means hundreds of families across Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry have been left with no respite care and less healthcare staff, leading to increasied financial, physical and mental pressures on family members who care for loved ones.
In a statement the Western Trust confirmed there had been a deficit in investment in learning disability services amounting to £8 million over the past two years.
The Trust says it has received an additional investment of £2.3 million for this financial year and that it was going to work with families, carers and advocate groups to develop plans to address the funding gaps.
Speaking to the Herald this week, Ms McGeraty says the news didn’t come as a shock: “It has always been a battle to try and get help from the Trust in terms of direct payments. It should be an automatic process without this unecessary hardship but there is no support for families.”
She added: “We do our caring 24-7, all year around, day and night. I can’t believe that this has been allowed to go on for so long and that the Trust has been able to get away with it.”
Ms McGeraty has accused the Trust of deliberately underfunding families and forcing unforetold financial hardship and stress upon them.
“They need to be upfront and honest about why this action was taken over a number of years and why they failed to inform families who should have benefitted from the additional £8m. We also need an explanation on how families who have been left out of pocket will be compensated.”
There is growing anger over the funding shortfall amongst locals MLAs too who are expected to meet with the Western Trust on Friday to discuss the issue.
The South West Carers Forum will also host two public meetings next week to discuss the underfunding issue. Parents and carers of people with learning disabilities from across Fermanagh are being urged to attend the meetings on Tuesday next, May 24th in the Westville Hotel, Enniskillen and on Wednesday, May 25th in the Silverbirch Hotel in Omagh, both at 7.30pm.
“Our children are entitled to a life and we are sick of this discrimination. We want answers as to why this money has been taken away from us and where it has gone to,” Ms McGeraty added.
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