By 
STORMONT Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has been urged to intervene after hearing the harrowing experiences of Tyrone families caught up in a continuing staffing crisis at the Woodlawn House respite facility in Dungannon.
Parents of young people and adults with complex needs met the UUP Minister last week to outline how repeated staff shortages at the Dungannon centre have led to respite being reduced or cancelled – often at the last minute.
Families from across the Southern Trust area, including Dungannon, Ballygawley, Coalisland and Galbally, attended.
Speaking afterwards, parents described the meeting as ‘constructive’ and said that while no firm commitments were made, the Minister pledged to return to them with an update.
The meeting was arranged after the Southern Trust declined to meet directly with families about the disruption.
One parent, Dan McCartan from Ballygawley, said the group would ‘keep fighting’ until the issues are resolved.
Concerns over staffing at Woodlawn were previously raised at Mid Ulster Council in July, when the Southern Trust’s director of Mental Health, Jan McGall, said conditional offers had been made for all six vacant nursing posts.
Four months on, families say the situation has only deteriorated.
In a statement, Ms McGall confirmed the service continues to run at reduced capacity due to ongoing vacancies and sickness absence.
“Unfortunately, some short breaks have been cancelled and others reduced. This reduction in service, whilst regrettable, has been necessary to ensure the safety of service users and staff.”
The meeting with Minister Nesbitt was also attended by Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew, chair of the Assembly’s Health Committee, and Sinn Féin Torrent ward councillor Nuala McLernon, whose family has direct experience of the service.
“It saddens me to be raising this again,” Cllr McLernon said.
“The six staff referred to in the summer are still not in place. The situation has worsened; respite that was being reduced is now being cancelled.”
She said families had been told the service is now operating on a month-to-month basis, preventing them from making any forward plans.
