Fulfilling home help requirements

STAFF in the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) worked extremely hard through the recent cold snap to limit the disruption to home help services, states Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.

Mr McGimpsey advised that during the recent onset of extreme weather, Trust staff and staff from the independent sector worked "extremely hard to ensure continuity of home care provision which, on a typical day, can involve 8,000 visits across the Trust."

"Staff have made every effort including walking great distances through snow to reach service users, accessing specialist vehicles including tractors, and working additional hours and days off," he stated.

Through these efforts disruption was kept to a minimum and where service users could not be reached Trust staff liaised closely with family, neighbours and local community to ensure essential support was maintained, he added.

"The Trust has also worked in partnership with other agencies, in particular the Roads Service, to help provide a coordinated response to the difficulties being experienced," stated Mr McGimpsey.

The Minister said road closures had the potnetial to bring most of the province to a temporary halt but every effort would be made to maintain services.

He stated: "Every effort is made to provide health and social care services in all communities, in all circumstances. Outside factors such as road closures have the potential to bring most of Northern Ireland, including such services as health and social care, to a temporary halt. Each situation and circumstance will be different, requiring a range of different responses." The comments were made in response to a query tabled at the Stormont Assembly.

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