HSE 'concerned' about high cost of housing people with disabilities in commercial care

For accommodation services, the cost per person per year for this largely emergency care is roughly €420,000 per year with a for-profit provider, with such high costs generally reflective of situations which require a lot of staffing to support people who typically have intensely complex needs. File picture

The HSE is “concerned” about the high cost of placing people living with disabilities in private, for-profit residential care, an Oireachtas committee will hear on Wednesday.

Dr Andy Phillips, the HSE’s executive officer for the South-West, will tell the Committee on Disability Matters that the levels of commercial residential provision in the sector has “increased significantly” up to 14% of the total spend on such accommodation.