Fears for services at Brothers of Charity
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
STAFF and service users of the Brothers of Charity, Roscommon are in a "dicey situation" and further cuts would result in closures according to CEO of the Roscommon branch, Marian Keigher. Her comments come in the wake of proposed budgetary cuts by the HSE for the charity's Galway branch, where an estimated cut of €2 million may be imposed.
Mrs Keigher said the Roscommon branch of the charity were already in dire straits with staff doing everything possible to prevent direct effects on service users. "Our budget in January was cut by €1m, we are barely coping as it stands. Eight people retired last year and were never replaced, this is having a very negative effect on front line services. Nurses and care assistants have not been replaced and this is having a major impact here in Roscommon. We hope to continue the level of services we're operating at the moment in Roscommon but families and staff are all anxious that further cuts may take place which will definitely mean closures."
The Brothers of Charity Services started in Roscommon in 1975 in Ivy House, Castlerea. There are currently 296 people with intellectual disability on the Department of Health database in Co Roscommon and Mrs Keigher said services were pared to as far as they could go without directly affecting service users.
"We have rationalised transport costs, amalgamated services, we've looked for contributions from families and users and donations from the public, we've reduced staff expenses and are working hard to keep the effects from our users but we are at the end of our ability to do that and any more will mean closures."
In Galway it is expected that respite care services will be cancelled, community homes closed and staffing levels affected if the new cut is imposed by HSE West on the charity. This is in addition to a saving of €2.5 million being sought for this year, and a budgetary reduction of 1.8 million imposed last year .
In 2009 the Brothers of Charity, Roscommon were allocated €35,000 in funding for school leaver services which they never received but Mrs Keigher remains optimistic that funding for that particular service will be secured in 2010. "We were promised €35,000 last year for services for school leavers which we never received , that figure is supposed to be €200,000 this year I'm optimistic about getting it but maybe I am being naive," she said.
In a statement issued yesterday, HSE West said it was facing severe financial pressure in 2010, and "efficiencies need to be achieved across the entire range of services provided" to enable it to stay within budget. "Grants to voluntary agencies are a substantial part of the overall expenditure in the west, and the agencies we work with have been advised they will need to work with us to overcome the budgetary pressures in the current year," it said. It said further meetings were scheduled "over the coming week" to discuss final details of the "cost-containment plans".
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