Gateway group is snubbed

Gateway group is snubbed

9 October 2013

RED-faced health chiefs have apologised after a group of special needs adults were locked out of the centre where they meet in Downpatrick.

Members of the Downpatrick Gateway Evening Club have been meeting at the Market Street Day Centre in the town for the past two decades, but arrived last week to discover that the shutters were down and locked.

The Gateway Club caters for adults with a learning disability ranging in age from 23 to 50. When a number of them arrived at the day centre for their fortnightly meeting in atrocious weather conditions last Thursday night to find they couldn’t get in.

The South Eastern Trust has apologised and admitted that following the the transfer of services from the day centre to the Downshire Hospital site, it forgot to inform Gateway Club officials that the Market Street facility had been closed.

Gateway leader, Mary McCargo, said she was “angry and upset” that health administrators had overlooked a group of special needs adults.

She said dozens of vulnerable people — including her daughter Maureen — were left wondering why their fortnightly outing had been cancelled. Mrs. McCargo said parents and carers were also annoyed at the Trust’s failure to communicate that the centre had been closed.

She said at a time when people are lectured about the “big society” and the role of the voluntary sector, what happened last week demonstrates that the public sector is “all too comfortable with its own existence.”

Mrs. McCargo added: “The public sector does not register the importance of the voluntary sector that provides so many services to those with a learning disability.

“The Gateway Club will be communicating with all our members and carers as soon as we find out where we will be able to meet in the future. We need a ground floor centre with kitchens and toilets that is accessible for mini-buses. We will be chasing the Trust on this matter over the coming week.”

Councillor Cadogan Enright said the Gateway Club members were left “high and dry” last week and said while he tried to find alternative venues at short notice, there was too little time.

“The Gateway Club was left with nowhere to meet last week. The club has used the Market Street facility for over 20 years to provide a voluntary-led outing that also supplies carers with respite,” he explained.

Councillor Enright added: “I contacted a number of departments within the South Eastern Trust, but no one knew where the replacement resource centre for the Market Street facility could be found. Mary and I toured the Downshire site but none of the offices that were open knew anything about it, although we were told it could be found somewhere on the campus.”

A Trust spokeswoman said the organisation has been providing the Gateway Club with a venue for many years, but explained it does not meet during holiday periods, such as the summer.

She revealed that due to the need to improve environmental standards, the Trust recently moved the physical disability day centre from Market Street in Downpatrick to the Downshire campus.

The spokeswoman continued: “It was a significant project to relocate the day centre whilst maintaining services. In doing so, Trust staff overlooked the Gateway club’s occasional use of the day centre. The Trust would like to apologise that the Gateway Club was not fully informed of the planned changes and apologises for the significant inconvenience caused to service users and volunteers last Thursday evening.  

“Trust staff have already been in contact with the co-ordinator of the Gateway Club and agreed to meet to address where the club can hold its social club meetings in the future.”

The spokeswoman said Trust staff will work with the Gateway Club to identify a suitable venue for future meetings in advance of the next Gateway session on October 17.