Left Behind...Plight of young Slane wheelchair user left without HSE transport to his day service raised in the Dail

The plight of a young Slane wheelchair user who is on awaiting list for HSE provided transport to his day service was raised in the Dail last week.

19 year old Noah Gibney attends Prosper in Navan. He is unable to use public transport and cannot get a place on the HSE funded transport, as no space is currently available on the route for a second wheelchair, as the bus can only accommodate one at a time and currently accommodates another wheelchair user.

Noah's mother Jennifer drives him to Navan and back each day, which takes up practically her whole day.

“Noah has cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disability and scoliosis. He is not independent and cannot use public transport. He went to school in St Ultan’s and left last year, but there is no transport available for him.

“I leave him to Navan every morning for 9.15am and collect him at 2pm. If I'm not well, or cannot drive home there for any other reason, my husband has to take the day off work to bring him. It has to be my car he travels in because it is wheelchair accessible.

“I had my car in the garage for a week and he had to miss the full week.”

Jennifer says that Noah loves attending Prosper. “He has a great bunch of friends. He loves going in there. He needs the structure and routine and he needs to get out and about.”

She says they have been told he on a waiting list, but she believes there is a very slim chance of getting a place on that bus.

“It has been going on for over a year. It is baffling that there is no funding to provide more transport, so the most vulnerable can be brought safely from door to door.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke raised Noah's case in the Dail last week and pointed out how important the Prosper service is to Noah “for fulfilment, engagement, development and independence.”

He said it was important to note that there was no defined timeline for the waiting list.

“That is really frustrating in this case. The policy objective, which we share, is that people can live independently and be provided with supports to do that. In this case, that is not happening. Noah's mum, Jennifer, has done her very best to secure safe and secure transport for her son, but every door is closed and, as a result, she is bringing him to and from his day services in Prosper every day. That is not a long-term solution and it runs directly contrary to the policy of giving people their independence.

Deputy O'Rourke said there was a need for an integrated system that can ensure that, where people cannot access public transport for whatever reason, a transport system is in place to allow people to have independence and not to be dependent on individuals.

“We can all imagine scenarios where someone's carer, support or transport provider, such as a family or friend, is not available because they are sick, away or so on, which has a knock-on impact.

“I ask the Minister of State to look at this issue, specifically at Noah's case, and at Meath, but also in a wider context at transport for people accessing adult day services.”

Minister for Children, Emer Higgins said the HSE acknowledges that many people with a disability need access to transport to enable each person to attend a day service but that the provision of transport services is not part of core services within disability services.

“The HSE encourages people to use public transport options and to be independent, understandably, but it recognises that public transport options are not always available to many people throughout the country. “Specifically in relation to Meath, it reiterates that day services do not have a separate budget for transport.

“Transport in Meath is managed in a combined way between service providers and the HSE transport manager, who contracts Transport for Ireland, TFI, to supply some historical transport. There are 217 service users accommodated on this historical transport to adult day services but there are currently five others on the waiting list for particular transport routes. There is a gap in funding but also in the transport service provision.”

The Minister said sanction was provided to the HSE in 2024 for €3.6 million to be used for the upgrade of transport vehicles in disability day services.

“This funding was specifically aimed at supporting the provision of vehicles for transport to day services where other transport solutions are not available and where an ageing fleet exists. This funding was allocated to HSE, section 38 and section 39 services on a one-off basis and has supported the purchase of 77 vehicles, which provide services.”

The HSE was approached for comment.