Members of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council have described a response from the Department of Health around the impact that inadequate funding is having on the provision of outreach services for elderly residents as “extremely disappointing”.

The Council wrote to the Permanent Secretary, Peter May, calling for the urgent release of funding to ensure services can be provided for all requiring them.

Mr. May’s reply began by stating Adult Day Care Services are operational matters for Health and Social Care Trusts, and are provided “commensurate with assessed needs”.

While provision continues to remobilise day care, short breaks and transport, it was accepted some services are yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Mr. May also pointed to workforce deficits in statutory and independent sector services as contributory factors.

In respect of the Western Health and Social Care Trust, the total number of regulated day care places for older people across the Council district is 588 places, delivered over 50 weeks of the year, closing for Christmas, Easter and Bank holidays.

The majority of Adult Day Care Services are provided by the statutory sector; however, approximately 100 places are through two independent facilitators – Lakeland  Community Care, and Inspire Wellbeing.

Last October, Inspire Wellbeing announced a reduction due to increased financial pressures from 60 to 24 places.

The following month, Lakeland Community Care indicated a reduction of day care provision from 121 to 73 places, also due to increased financial pressures.

Both providers continue to receive their agreed funding, with no reduction, which included: “A 3.94 per cent annual uplift despite the Department facing an extremely challenging budget position in the 2022/23 financial year,” said Mr. May.

While the £7.3 billion budget announced by the Secretary of State in November, 2022, means the Department should break even, having taken action to bear down on costs as far as possible without impacting front-line services, Mr. May added: “There is a requirement to exercise continued tight control on expenditure.

“This will necessarily include not being able to increase funding for services in-year. Therefore, funding will not be available for all that we want, or indeed need to do.

“We will continue to focus on making the best use of our existing resources through increased levels of efficiency and productivity.”

Councillor Josephine Deehan, Independent, described the response as “extremely disappointing”, and emphasised the importance of outreach services for the elderly.

“We are fully aware of the impact of Covid-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of our elderly population due to isolation and lack of contact with the community,” she said.

In respect of provision not yet reaching pre-pandemic levels, Councillor Deehan remarked: “It’s very concerning to note the significant reduction in day-care places.

“Contractors continue to receive agreed funding, but we are all aware of the increasing energy and provision costs.

“There is reference to the need for tight control on expenditure, but why do the elderly have to bear more than their fair share of changes to services?

“Our elderly population require increased investment, given their vulnerability.”

She proposed writing back to the Department and the Western Trust “continuing to express our concern and ask that every measure is taken to increase provision and return to normal levels as soon as possible”.

Seconding, Councillor Donal O’Cofaigh, CCLA, added: “If enough pay isn’t provided, there won’t be enough supply.

“The main problem is the care profession has been chronically undervalued for many years, leading to a massive staffing crisis across our NHS.

“The important role here is for direct employment contracts by the NHS provider, as opposed to reliance on the independent sector, which I feel is now suffering chronic market failure.”

The proposal was agreed unanimously.