I’ve started to write tonight’s blog half a dozen times.
I know what I want to say but I don’t know how. I don’t want to misrepresent anything. I don’t want to ignore all the efforts made by so many people. I don’t want to accuse anybody of anything.
But I have been thinking about this all weekend.
Four months ago, Pádraig arrived with a list of equipment for which he had been assessed, a care plan, and a therapy plan. He was then assessed again, in a hospital, by other experts, and an application was put together.
It turns out they could have saved themselves the effort. What Pádraig is going to get does not depend on what he requires (as assessed by the experts) but by the budget available.
I know this sounds controversial, is not politically correct, and will most likely offend someone reading this – but: to me it looks like as if the HSE could save themselves a lot of money doing assessments and just get the accountants to decide what what treatment one should get.
Hospi-Tales 
Sounds familiar Reinhard…..we follow all the rules and advise of professionals but in the end……it is about budget nothing else. What ever happened to empathy, support and basic human kindness? No one now steps out of the box and says ‘this is unjust, this is against human rights’…….just saying…..sorry been a very tough weekend and sort of tired of being ‘politically correct’. We battle on against the tide, there is a glimmer of hope in the distance but this is the longest damn journey I have ever been on!
You are absolutely right, Hilary. Getting help and support when you need it should not have to be a battle – it’s hard enough to deal with this enormous change in your life. This should be about getting the right help, not about bureaucracy and budgets. What Emma is doing and how you are helping her is so brilliant and exemplary – we just need to find a way to tell more people about this so that they realise that our ‘kids’ are and will be participating in life and society — and what that means not just for them and their families, but also for society.
I agree! I’m surprised they spent precious financial resources to evaluate when the decision was a foregone conclusion. 😦
There would be no shortage of therapists if therapists were left to provide therapy, Diane. Not even in Ireland:)
In Spanish we would say “marean la perdiz”, they obviously would like to do more but if there is no budget …. yes it has no sense, well if you have money they have given you the list of what you could achieve yourself….incredible!!
They are ‘beating about the bush’ and ‘avoiding the issue’ not getting anywhere, Ana – it does not make sense, as you say…