Units for those with intellectual disabilities face closure

A number of the Camphill communities which provide residential services for people with intellectual disabilities are facing closure, TDs and Senators have been told.

Camphill provides full-time accommodation and support for almost 300 people in 17 centres across Ireland. It has been in negotiation with the HSE on its funding since 2004, the Joint Committee on Health and Children heard on Thursday.

National governance co-ordinator Joe Lynch said the organisation received a lower level of per-capita funding than most charities, and one of its communities was within four to six weeks of issuing protective notice to staff and asking the HSE “to come and collect about 25 people”.

He said Camphill had “nowhere left to go” having been refused overdraft facilities from the Bank of Ireland and was using its reserves to pay wages. Mr Lynch said as a committed “life-sharing” movement workers’ wages were at the lower end of comparisons with other charities, in keeping with the “low cost” ethos.

Mr Lynch said a HSE claim that the communities had reserves of €4 million was out of date. The figure was down to about €2million – partly because of a Health Information and Quality Authority requirement that fire-safety measures be overhauled – a move which cost more than €700,000 of the reserve.

He added that the new reserve level may breach charities legislation which required the reserve to be sufficient to provide for three to six months working costs.

He accused the HSE of “stonewalling” for more than a decade and said he believed “they see us as low cost, they want to keep us at low cost”, even though the Camphill operation saved the State millions each year.

Camphill director Miriam Moffitt told the committee her daughter was a Camphill resident who had mental disabilities, complex physical needs as well as being “totally blind”. She was looked after “24/7, 365 days a year” by the community which received €33,000 per year from the HSE, Ms Moffitt said.

“You wouldn’t get a B&B for that,” she added.

Mr Lynch added that more than 50 per cent of Camphill residents were on capitation fees from the department of less than €40,000 per year.

Series of cuts

In addition to the issue of the level of capitation fees paid by the HSE, Camphill Communities had been faced with a series of cuts in recent years which would “have serious implications for our services going forward”, Mr Lynch said.

Committee chairman Jerry Buttimer said he was “very disappointed” the presentation had necessarily concentrated on the funding situation. Mr Buttimer said he had hoped to highlight the day-to-day challenges and services provided by Camphill Communities and regretted that the organisation was in such difficulties.

Committee members agreed to pursue the issue with the HSE.