To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department takes to ensure that interim placements, including for respite care made due to a lack of domiciliary care, are located as close as possible to a person’s home.

The responsibility for provision of interim and respite placements rests with the host Health and Social Care Trust.

The Belfast Trust has a range of contracts in place with care home providers which are within the Belfast geographical area. Where it is possible to do so, the Trust strives to facilitate placements as close to people’s homes as possible.

The Northern Trust has embarked on an ambitious Strategic Reform of Home Care Services, with a focus upon increasing and maximising home care capacity. If a contingency placement is required when a package of care is not available, the Trust will endeavour to ensure a care home is secured in the service user’s home of choice. However, due to challenges with care home capacity and suitability, this is not always possible. In such instances, the Trust will work with service users and families to source a placement as close as possible to their preferred location.

In the South Eastern Trust, when it is not possible to secure a homecare package for the delivery of care in a person’s own home, it is at times necessary to arrange an interim placement to await the care package. Whilst every effort is made to secure an interim placement close to the person’s home, this is not always possible as options are dependent upon care home availability. Any interim option will be discussed with the person and/or next of kin, and the Trust will continue to prioritise these requests to facilitate a return home as soon as possible.

In the Southern Trust, access to respite or an interim care bed due to a lack of access to a home care package is dependent on a number of variables including;

Patient Choice,

Carer preference e.g. for ease of visiting

Actual bed availability and

Availability of appropriate category of care.

The placement selected is agreed in partnership and with consent from the individual service user and family, as appropriate.

The Western Trust makes every effort to ensure that if a domiciliary care package is not immediately available, clients are placed in a care home that is as close to their home address as possible and will involve the client and their family/carer in these discussions.