St. Vincent's Centre Navan Road Cutbacks

21 June 2010

by Cllr Joe Costello

Motion on the Adjournment

"The need for the Minister for Health and Children to provide sufficient funding for the continuation of all essential services provided by the Daughters of Charity Service for persons with an intellectual disability at St. Vincent's Centre, Navan Road, Dublin 7".

The Daughters of Charity provide an excellent service for persons with intellectual disability in St. Vincent’s Centre, Navan Road, Dublin 7.

However, they have now been informed by the HSE that €4 million has to be pared off their budget for 2010.

  1. Consequently, 56 staff members have to be taken off the payroll reducing staff members from 1,046 to 990 with quarterly targets to be achieved and the threat of a 5% further cut in the event of failure to comply.

In relation to St. Vincent’s Centre the cuts are savage.

  1. Árdcuan, the Respite Centre on the Old Cabra Road will be forced to close by the 30th June and for the foreseeable future.

All the families of service users were informed of the bombshell on the 8th June 2010 in writing

  1. Respite Care in Sancta Maria at the Navan Road Centre will be reduced to 4 nights (Mon – Thurs)
  2. Family support hours will have to be significantly reduced.
  3. Connect, the after school club, will also be significantly reduced.
  4. The annual summer camp will not be able to function, as there is no financial support for it available.
  5. Parents will have to pay for transport or bring their children to the DEC each day.
  6. The Skills Development Programme (Skills) will have to close for four weeks instead of the usual three in the summer.
  7. Staffs in Skills have been informed that they must take an extra week’s holidays at their own expense or be redeployed to another area.

 

 

These are extremely severe cuts and the Management of St. Vincent’s Centre are endeavouring to ensure that the residential and day services are maintained for the remainder of the year.

The fact that the Management was not informed of the €4 million shortfall until the end of May 2020 – nearly halfway into the year has greatly exacerbated the situation.

Last September St. Vincent’s Centre had to close down its swimming pool due to lack of funding for refurbishment.  There are approximately 300 people receiving services directly either residential or day services in the Centre.

The cutbacks that are being imposed will greatly impede St. Vincent’s in carrying out its work for a section of the community which is most vulnerable and needs every support it can get.

These savage cutbacks should be reversed immediately. 

The Daughters of Charity provide an excellent service for persons with intellectual disability in St. Vincent’s Centre, Navan Road, Dublin 7.

However, they have now been informed by the HSE that €4 million has to be pared off their budget for 2010.

  1. Consequently, 56 staff members have to be taken off the payroll reducing staff members from 1,046 to 990 with quarterly targets to be achieved and the threat of a 5% further cut in the event of failure to comply.

In relation to St. Vincent’s Centre the cuts are savage.

  1. Árdcuan, the Respite Centre on the Old Cabra Road will be forced to close by the 30th June and for the foreseeable future.

All the families of service users were informed of the bombshell on the 8th June 2010 in writing

  1. Respite Care in Sancta Maria at the Navan Road Centre will be reduced to 4 nights (Mon – Thurs)
  2. Family support hours will have to be significantly reduced.
  3. Connect, the after school club, will also be significantly reduced.
  4. The annual summer camp will not be able to function, as there is no financial support for it available.
  5. Parents will have to pay for transport or bring their children to the DEC each day.
  6. The Skills Development Programme (Skills) will have to close for four weeks instead of the usual three in the summer.
  7. Staffs in Skills have been informed that they must take an extra week’s holidays at their own expense or be redeployed to another area.

 

 

These are extremely severe cuts and the Management of St. Vincent’s Centre are endeavouring to ensure that the residential and day services are maintained for the remainder of the year.

The fact that the Management was not informed of the €4 million shortfall until the end of May 2020 – nearly halfway into the year has greatly exacerbated the situation.

Last September St. Vincent’s Centre had to close down its swimming pool due to lack of funding for refurbishment.  There are approximately 300 people receiving services directly either residential or day services in the Centre.

The cutbacks that are being imposed will greatly impede St. Vincent’s in carrying out its work for a section of the community which is most vulnerable and needs every support it can get.

These savage cutbacks should be reversed immediately.