Debate contribution: Woodlawn House, Dungannon: Post-19 Adult Respite Provision

Debate contribution by Mr Eóin Tennyson on 14 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Eóin Tennyson

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

14 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Woodlawn House, Dungannon: Post-19 Adult Respite Provision

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5181294

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I begin by thanking Colm Gildernew for bringing this important Adjournment topic to the Assembly, and I also thank the Minister for being here to respond. It is an important issue that touches so many lives but often does not get the prominence that it deserves in public debate. Whilst I am not a Fermanagh/South Tyrone MLA, I am an Upper Bann representative, and many of my constituents also rely on the services at Woodlawn House. Like the previous contributor, I regularly hear stories from constituents about the challenges that they have faced in accessing respite care, the reduction in services at Woodlawn and the impact that it is having. Behind each of those stories is a carer who has not had a full night's sleep in months; a family juggling work, love and responsibility; and an individual with complex needs, who is not being treated with the dignity, joy and compassion that they deserve. For those families, respite care is not just a service; it is a lifeline. It is the difference between surviving and truly thriving. They are being failed, and we all have a responsibility to do better. I want to stress, as did Colm Gildernew, that it is no slight or criticism of the staff. Every constituent whom I have dealt with has been keen to emphasise that the staff go over and above to care for their loved ones in very difficult circumstances. I am also conscious of the challenges around staff recruitment and retention at Woodlawn, which piles additional pressure not just on the families but on the remaining staff, who are left to pick up the pieces and juggle that service. Earlier this year, I engaged with the Southern Trust about services at Woodlawn. It advised that, in the year up to June 2025, nine members of staff had left their posts at Woodlawn. That is a turnover of almost 30%. There has also been a significant reduction in service due to maternity leave and sickness absences. Whilst safe staffing levels must, of course, be our priority, I would be grateful if the Minister could outline what steps have been taken to gain insight into what is driving that significant turnover and what consideration has been given to other things, such as pay and conditions. I know that the Department has attempted to undertake recruitment at band 5 nurse level and band 3 healthcare assistant level. It has cited the challenges of people withdrawing before interview and even some post-interview challenges around overseas applicants having issues with visas and other matters. I am curious about whether the febrile atmosphere, febrile debate and toxic debate around immigration are having any bearing on our ability to attract overseas staff into that sector, because I know that the Southern Trust relies very heavily on overseas recruitment. Due to those critical staffing levels, the number of operational days at Woodlawn has reduced significantly. Since June, services have been reduced to five nights a week as opposed to the usual seven, with no clear timeline for a return to full service levels. Again, there seems to be a lack of clarity from the Department about what interim provision will be put in place to support families, or whether any alternatives could be made available, while those operational issues persist. Worse than the reduced operational days at Woodlawn, however, is the functioning of the cancellation policy. Again, like the previous contributor, I have spoken to families who have been given a glimmer of hope when they have secured a slot for respite, only for that hope to be dashed and that slot to be taken away at very short notice. That late cancellation makes it impossible for those families to plan, rest or, often, access the healthcare and support that they need, because we know that many of those families plan to put a loved one into respite care so that they can access their own healthcare appointments. I understand that there has been an endeavour to engage with and consult carers and families about the issues at Woodlawn House. Again, I welcome any update from the Minister on that process so far. Care as a whole is so often undervalued in our society, and respite is not a peripheral concern. It is central to the delivery of a compassionate health service, and it protects well-being and ensures that those with complex needs are not overlooked or left behind in our society. I urge the Minister to take a personal interest, commit to a clear time-bound plan for restoring full services at Woodlawn House and ensure that the cancellation policy is acting effectively and compassionately, with carers at its heart, and that the right support is made available in the interim and is communicated transparently. We owe it to those families to do better and to listen, act and deliver the care and dignity that they deserve. Whilst I accept that budgets are stretched, that can be no excuse for failing to deliver the very basics that those families deserve. I hope that this debate can be the start of setting us on a better trajectory on the issue. I look forward to the Minister's response.

867 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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