MS Ireland continues fight for Community Support Worker in Leitrim and Sligo
MS Ireland is still seeking funding for a community support worker for Sligo and Leitrim, where more than 300 people live with MS, the only counties in Ireland without such a dedicated worker.
MS Ireland continues to campaign for a community support worker for the more than 300 people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in Leitrim and Sligo.
The organisation held an event in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo last September to highlight the urgent need for such a position. The event featured testimonies from local people living with MS and outlined the difference the role would make in their lives.
MS Ireland is seeking €72,997.56 to fund one full-time community support worker for Sligo and Leitrim.
The North West also has the highest incidence of MS in Ireland.
There have been several meetings between MS Ireland and the HSE in the North West, but the organisation is still without funding for the position or a timeline for when funding may be provided.
World MS Day recently took place on Saturday, and last week Senator for Sligo-Leitrim Nessa Cosgrove took the opportunity to raise the issue once again in the Seanad.
“Sligo and Leitrim are the only counties that do not have a dedicated multiple sclerosis community worker. This is alarming because Sligo, Leitrim and that region have the highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the country. Yet, they do not have a dedicated community worker,” Senator Cosgrove said.
She went on to say that although the number of people with MS in Sligo and Leitrim is estimated at around 300, the true figure could be higher, as most people become known to MS Ireland through a community worker operating on the ground.
More than 100 individuals are currently accessing help and services from neighbouring counties such as Donegal.
“Everyone’s experience of living with multiple sclerosis is different. There are different levels of support based on the different needs. The role of community workers - I know this from working as one - is pointing, directing and signposting people with diagnoses to available services and assisting with grant applications. Their role is important,” she added.
She continued that individuals in the North West living with MS are being discriminated against based on where they live.
“These people are being discriminated against based on their location, especially given that Sligo and Leitrim have the highest incidence of multiple sclerosis.
“The estimated cost – this has not increased in the year since it first submitted it - is €72,997. That is all it is looking for. Its role is vital in people’s lives, particularly when it comes to the initial diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. I am seeking an update in this regard,” she concluded.
Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Emer Higgins, confirmed that at present there is still no specific funding allocation within the HSE disability services budget to support the establishment of this post. It has not, therefore, been possible to progress recruitment at this stage.
Senator Cosgrove added that beyond the community worker’s role in supporting those with MS, they also undertake significant fundraising efforts.
“This weekend in particular there will be loads of fundraising activities happening all across the country, but because we do not have a community worker in Sligo we are going to miss out on that. It is a double whammy,” she said, urging Minister Higgins to prioritise funding for the role.
“I confirm that the HSE does remain committed to working with stakeholders, including MS Ireland, to explore opportunities that would enhance service provision for people in the region with MS. That is subject to the availability of resources,” said Minister Higgins.