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

Debate contribution by Mrs Diane Dodds on 14 October 2025.

MLA

Mrs Diane Dodds

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

14 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Woodlawn House, Dungannon: Post-19 Adult Respite Provision

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5181296

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you to the Member for securing an Adjournment debate on a very important issue. My colleague Deborah Erskine would have liked to have been here to discuss it. Like the previous contributor, I am a Member for Upper Bann, and the facility caters for many of our constituents, including some from as far away as my home town of Banbridge. The facility is widely used by those from across the Southern Trust. The facility also provides a lifeline. I know that the Minister knows that and gets that it is a really important issue, but we need to look after the families who look after people in such challenging circumstances. Families will do their utmost for their loved one, but, sometimes, it is really important that they get that break from caring so that they can do other things for themselves. Ultimately, if that break from caring is not available, care in the family home can break down, and the ultimate consequence of that is that health services will have to assume responsibility. Having the situation that we face at Woodlawn House is almost unwise. Deborah provided me with some statistics that she had been looking at, and I reviewed them. In March of this year, 24 short breaks were cancelled at Woodlawn House, and another seven were shortened. In the following month, 23 short breaks were cancelled, and the length of stay was reduced for another five. Last month, 10 short breaks were cancelled, with six having the length of stay reduced. The reasons that were given for that were staff shortages, vacancies, sickness, maternity leave and supporting individuals who were doing other training. More worryingly, in a recent update, the Minister said that it was unlikely that eight posts at Woodlawn House would be filled in the near future. That comprises four band 5 nurses and four senior nursing assistants. That is extremely worrying, given the number of cancellations and the shortening of breaks and the impact that that has on families. I really want the Minister to address some of those issues in his response, because I know that some of those families will be listening to the debate and will want to hear something more than, "We are doing our best". I ask that the Minister explain the issues in the Southern Trust. The trust has been more successful than other trusts in introducing a wide range of breaks for families who are in need of respite. Minister, in response to a question that I asked earlier this year, you said that around a third of all the money that is allocated for respite went to the Southern Trust. It may be that the Southern Trust supports a wider range of people who require respite, but it would be interesting to get a further breakdown of the figures in order to understand why some of that money cannot be allocated to Woodlawn House, which is a really important facility. On a wider point, which is important, as it is linked to the issue, the Minister allocated £13 million earlier in the year to support families with really high support needs. It would be useful for the House to get a breakdown of how that £13 million is being spent, of how much of the, I think, £2 million was spent in the previous financial year and of the allocations for this financial year. It is fair to say that the people at whom the allocations are aimed were slightly annoyed, because they felt that they did not really address the issues. There have been some changes made to the number of short breaks that are available, but those changes have not addressed the issue of providing breaks for individuals and families who look after young people and children with very high and complex needs. It would therefore be useful to get some information about that £13 million. I fully acknowledge the intent behind getting out that money and the struggle that there is to find new money, but we really need to make sure that it is allocated in a way that best serves the needs of people with very high and complex needs. Minister, post-19 respite provision is one of the most important issues that we will debate in the House. There are many families across Northern Ireland who, during COVID, managed on their own 24/7 and never had any help. Again, I ask that you give the House information on how many respite facilities are now open, including those operating at pre-COVID levels.

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

Assessment

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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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