People with disabilities want choice - Minister for Health

03 December 2010

Minister of State for Disability & Mental Health, John Moloney T.D. will today (3rd December, 2010) publish the findings of a public consultation process undertaken as part of a Value for Money Review of Disability Services. The Minister will also publish draft policy proposals outlining a shift from existing disability service models towards a system of individual supports and individualised budgeting.
Some of the main findings of the consultation include: 

·                                 Almost three quarters (73%) of people consulted felt that the best option for meeting the needs of people with disabilities would be for them to have a choice to get different elements of service from different providers.

·                                 Exactly half of respondents said that people with disabilities should get to choose and manage their own services

·                                 96% of respondents agreed that the current objectives of the Disability Services are relevant.

·                                 Many felt that access to services and information about services was not adequate and that there are inequities in how resources are distributed within the system

The full consultation report is now available on the Department of Heath & Children’s website
Almost 200 people responded to the public consultation process which was undertaken by the Office for Disability & Mental Health as part of a Value for Money & Policy Review of the Disability Services. Respondents included service users and their families, statutory and voluntary service providers, staff members, advocacy organisations and representative bodies.
Speaking on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities (3rd December 2010), the Minister said:
“This consultation process has confirmed that people with disabilities and their families are looking for more choice in the services they receive and more control over how they access them. It clearly underlines the necessity of reform in how our disability services are funded and organised.”
Also being published today on the Department’s websiteis a summary of the key proposals emerging from a recently-completed Review of Disability Policy. It proposes a reframing of disability services towards a model of individualised supports, underpinned by mainstreaming of all public services. State funding would be allocated based on an independent assessment of individual needs. Following the needs assessments, individual support plans would be drawn up and individualised budgets allocated from which the supports and services needed would be purchased.
A number of mechanisms are proposed to achieve this, including direct payments, where the person manages the budget and purchases the supports themselves, or a broker system, where the person has the choice and control, but the broker administers the budget and commissions supports and services on their behalf.
The policy review, undertaken by an Expert Group, was commissioned to inform the Value for Money Review of Disability Services, which is due to be completed in 2011. A summary is now available on the Department of Health & Children’s website. It is expected that the full report of the Expert Group will be the subject of a formal consultation process in the first half of 2011.