People with Disabilities in Ireland
4th Floor Jervis House
Jervis Street
Dublin 1
Telephone: 01 87 21 74 4
Fax: 01 87 21 77 1
Email: info@pwdi.ie
A call was made on the Government today to ensure that the draft standards for disability services are placed in the public domain without delay.
Michael Ringrose, Chief Executive of People with Disabilities in Ireland (PwDI), the national organisation representing all people with disabilities said today:
"A great deal of very professional and high level work under the Chairmanship of Professor Vincent Dodd has gone into the preparation of these draft standards. They should now see the light of day and be openly debated. It is deeply frustrating to see them hived off to an interim body."
The standards are intended to ensure that services are provided to an agreed level of quality and that the level of quality is consistent throughout the country.
Mr Ringrose went on to say:
"It is disappointing that a Minister last week indicated that the implementation of standards would take years. We are now calling on the Government to rethink its position on these standards. We need publication and public discussion and then we need implementation" he said.
In a Dáil question on the implementation of the standards last week Mr Tim O'Malley, Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children said:
"The draft NSDS (National Standards for Disability Services) have been forwarded to the interim HIQA (Health Information and Quality Authority) for its consideration. The implementation process for the NSDS will necessarily involve an incremental process of planning, training and implementation over the coming years."
Mr Ringrose said:
"Standards would be an essential step in ensuring that the end user has some guarantee of the quality of service to expect," he said.
"The clear message emanating from all non-Governmental organisations representing people with disabilities meeting in Dublin last week to examine the implementation of the now 10 year old UN Rules on the equalisation of opportunities for people with disabilities was that while the rules remain largely unimplemented, there is a critical need for the introduction of binding standards in service delivery."
"The consensus was that there is a huge regional variation on provision of health services. This creates a lottery based on one's address instead of one's needs.
"People in rural areas face particular difficulties in accessing services," he said.
Mr Ringrose identified a number of other issues that emerged:
· A lack of long-term planning for health services for people with disabilities
· The importance of disability awareness training and the need for such training to be carried out by suitably qualified people
· The need for the building regulations to be updated and enforced.
Further information:
Michael Ringrose 087-2804590
Mairead Foley 086-2556764
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