€2.4bn funding announced for disability services across Ireland for 2023
Republic of Ireland’s Department of Health Minister Anne Rabbitte has revealed an “unprecedented” level of funding for disability services in 2023 totalling €2.4 billion.
The Disability Services Budget in 2023 will provide funding to increase the Disability Awareness and Participation Fund and continue the department’s work on Digital Assistive Technology.
Speaking of the increased budget, Minister Rabbitte said: “This increase follows substantial increases in the budget in 2021 and 2022; and reflects this government’s commitment to strengthening the funding provided for the disability sector.”
€109 million is being provided to support Existing Levels of Service (ELS), funding for new developments will total €29.3 million, while one-off funding is being provided for costs associated with activity during COVID-19 amounting to €39 million.
Additional funding will be provided for the continued rollout of the Neuro Rehabilitation Strategy nationally.
More funding for specialist disability services for children or young people in, or transitioning out, of Túsla care services will be provided.
It will further provide funding to continue the core services including residential and emergency residential, Respite, PA services, and facilitating the move of younger people away from nursing homes to more suitable residential locations.
For school leavers, additional funding provided in 2023 will provide a placement in adult day services for circa 1,200, mostly young people leaving school, who require ongoing support at one of the most crucial transition points of their lives.
The budget will also provide for the addition of 23 Neurological Nurses to increase capacity at neurology clinics around the country supporting adult and Paediatric neurology.
Additional one-off funding of €39 million is being provided to reduce the Assessment of Need waiting list and to fund placements in residential centres (costs associated with activity during COVID-19).
Minister Rabbitte continued: “The increased level of funding in 2023 will enable us to continue to build on initiatives currently underway.”
Section 39 organisations in disability services as well as other residential services, hospices, and other Section 39 organisations will be eligible to receive one-off additional support from within the overall health sector fund targeted at these providers of €100 million.
Section 39 agencies are agencies under Section 39 of the Health Act 2004 where the Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a grant to allow the agency to provide services similar or ancillary to the HSE.
This fund is being allocated this winter by government to support these organisations that provide essential health services in the context of the significant challenges which they are facing currently.
Minister Rabbitte added: “Given the size of the disability budget, I would anticipate the Section 39 providers in the disability sector will get a very significant share of the overall €100 million once off fund. I would also envisage that the support to individual organisations would broadly be determined with reference to the current value of each organisation’s service level arrangement with the HSE.”