Don’t blame us – blame the health board

I REFER to the letter (Irish Examiner, Feb 18) from Lorraine Leake, who has multiple sclerosis, and the follow-up report in your issue the following day.

As a result of the publicity, the case was raised by the Labour leader, Pat Rabbitte, at Question Time in the Dail.

The Taoiseach, in response, referred to the involvement of a voluntary agency and implied that it, rather than the Southern Health Board (SHB), had not responded to Ms Leake's situation.

Since 1996, the Centre for Independent Living (CIL) has worked to promote the independent living movement in Cork by facilitating the provision of personal assistants to people with significant disabilities.

Personal assistance is the most empowering type of support because it recognises the diverse needs of individuals and their right to control their daily lives.

CIL has an ongoing dialogue with the SHB, trying to convince the health authority of the merits of such an approach. Unfortunately, the SHB has been dogmatic in its resistance to developing this service.

Last year they contracted CIL to provide a reduced 'out of home' service not a personal assistance service.

Despite the fact that CIL has extensive experience in running independent living programmes in Cork since 1996, the SHB excluded it from any role in decision-making or assessing people for a service, or the number of hours they should be allocated.

CIL can only deliver a service once it receives a sanctioning letter on behalf of a disabled person from the SHB.

In relation to Ms Leake, CIL received a fax confirming a sanction of 10 hours on February 11.

Despite the fact that we were very familiar with Lorraine's case we were powerless to act until receipt of this letter, as we have no discretion over the budget that we receive from the SHB.

The SHB has shown no regard for the ethos of the independent living movement, which is committed to the autonomy of people with disabilities.

CIL wishes to make it clear that Ms Leake was the victim of a bureaucracy that has no respect for individuals or the ideal of independent living.

Nicola Meacle,

Programme Manager,

Cork Centre for Independent Living,

20, Commons Road,

Cork.