Vulnerable People And Those With Disabilities In Kildare Left Waiting A Year For Basic Advocacy Support

The 2024 Annual Report describes the situation as a postcode lottery, with Kildare listed among the counties where waiting times are longest due to high demand and unchanged staffing levels.

People with disabilities in Kildare are facing waits of up to a year or more to access vital advocacy support, according to a new report from the National Advocacy Service (NAS).

The service says people are not waiting for an assessment or funding, but for a trained independent advocate to be assigned to their case - someone who can formally step in and help resolve serious problems affecting their daily lives.

The Patient Advocacy Service received 301 enquiries in relation to nursing home complaints last year, a 53% increase on 2023 when 197 complaint enquiries were received.  

The 2024 Annual Report describes the situation as a postcode lottery, with Kildare listed among the counties where waiting times are longest due to high demand and unchanged staffing levels.

According to the report, some counties have no waiting list, whilst counties like Kildare, Cork and Wexford may have a waiting list of up to 12 months or more, amounting to a "postcode lottery".

Advocates support adults with disabilities who are struggling to have their voices heard in dealings with public bodies and service providers. 

This includes people living in unsuitable housing, adults under 65 placed in nursing homes, individuals unable to access their own money, and those involved in disputes about healthcare, consent, or decision-making capacity.

Until an advocate is allocated, many of these issues remain unresolved. 

The report warns that long delays often allow problems to escalate, leaving people isolated or living in inappropriate or unsafe situations.

Nationally, the NAS waiting list stood at 266 at the end of last year, with demand continuing to rise. 

However, the service says advocate numbers have not increased, despite a growing workload and more complex cases.

NAS advocates worked on 1,779 advocacy cases in 2024.

There were 3166 enquiries to NAS in 2024. The NAS waiting list ended in 2024 at 266, up from 248 in 2023.

Some of the biggest advocacy issues for people with disabilities, which were worked on by NAS advocates in 2024, related to access to finances, capacity building, housing and accommodation, issues within residential and healthcare settings, decision making and social care.