To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of people in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (i) who are currently assessed as requiring residential short breaks; and (ii) who access regular short break services.

In response to these questions the Department of Health has provided information regarding all programs of care that this might be relevant to as no particular program of care was referenced in the question.

Part (i) – number of people who are currently assessed as requiring a residential short break

Within the HSC Trusts in adult services people are not assessed as requiring short breaks it is the carers who are assessed (through the carer assessment process) as requiring short breaks. A “carer” is assessed as needing a short break, “to give them a break from their caring responsibilities” thereby a short break maybe provided to the person they are caring for.

It is important to note that residential short breaks are just one part of a continuum of provision Health and Social Care Trusts offer as alternatives to bed based care such as day care, a sitting service in the person’s own home, Shared Lives (Older People and Adult Learning Disability), Short Break Fostering and Direct Payments.

In children services an assessment of the family situation is completed through the UNOCINI assessment framework to ascertain if short breaks including residential short breaks are required. Children with Disability Services have 66 children assessed as requiring a residential short break.

Part (ii) – number of people who access regular short break services

The Northern Trust have provided the information for Quarter end September 2024 which is the latest information currently available in relation to ‘people’ accessing a variety of short breaks who are ‘carers’ and the number of children who are receiving short breaks.

Older People 233 Adult Carers who received a short break

Dementia 581 Adult Carers who received a short break

Learning Disability 207 Adult Carers who received a short break

Children with Disabilities 305 Children are receiving a short break