Richard Boyd Barrett presses for funding to save Shankill care home
Richard Boyd Barrett challenged the Taoiseach and ministers over funding for St Joseph's Inn, Shankill, calling for a firm commitment to cover a funding deficit and avert closure. He insisted dementia sufferers and their families need certainty, not just engagement, and demanded long-term funding to secure the facility's future.
Funding demand
Richard Boyd Barrett asked for a clear commitment that the funding will be provided, that the deficit will be made up in term funding to avert the closure at the end of this year and that a longer term solution be found to secure the future of this facility.
Local impact
He stressed the facility's importance to the area, noting that a close friend and his step-grandmother had been residents. He warned that closure would be devastating for families of dementia sufferers who rely on the service.
Government response
The Taoiseach replied that it is the government's objective to keep St Joseph's Inn, Shankill open, protect services and make them sustainable. The Taoiseach said both the HSC and the NTPF are engaging with St John of Gods on the issue.
Funding review and fairness concern
The Taoiseach also stated that funding per patient for the service is already well above the average in Dublin and among the best funded per head in the country. He argued that the high per‑patient funding needs to be examined because paying too much in one area could mean others lose services.
Ongoing scrutiny and debate
Deputies pressed for more than engagement, seeking a firmer, dated commitment to bridge the funding shortfall and secure the home's future. The exchange focused on immediate funding, transparency about per‑patient costs, and how government bodies are engaging with the provider.
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I asked you about this yesterday in the minister last week and I really just think we need a bit more of a firm commitment. The government and you yesterday said we're engaging, the HSC are engaging. We don't need engagement and the sufferers and the families, dementia sufferers and their families need a clear commitment that the funding will be provided, the deficit will be made up in term funding to avert the closure at the end of this year and the longer term solution to secure the future of this facility. I mean, even as it's in my area, even as I speak, a very, very good friend of mine is in there. My step-grandmother, for want of a better word, finished her life in there. This is an absolutely key facility in the area. It would be devastating for families. So please, Taoiseach, give us a clearer commitment, not just talk of engagement. Can we hear the Taoiseach then, please? I want to thank the deputies for raising this important issue and I want to assure you that it's the government's objective to make sure that St Joseph's Inn, Shankill stays open, that the services are protected and are made sustainable into the future. Both the HSC and the NTPF are engaging with St John of Gods about that. But I think it is important to put, or at least valid to put on the record of the Dáil, that funding per patient for this service is already well above the average in Dublin. And indeed is one of the best, best funded services per head in the entire country. Now, there may well be very good and legitimate reasons for that, but it does need to be looked into and examined properly because if we pay too much in one area, other people lose their service in another and we can't have that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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