Mountain View Respite House to open by end of the year

A new adult Physical and Sensory Residential Respite Unit in Cavan Town will open in the last quarter of this year.

Mountain View Respite House is at an advanced stage of construction and, subject to recruitment, it is planned to open before the end of the year.

The HSE is currently recruiting for appropriately qualified staff for the house, which has four bed spaces.

Cavan/Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith recently welcomed the development.

“There is a need for much more capacity for respite for both children and adults in Cavan and Monaghan. The Annalee Respite Centre in Cootehill is a five bedded unit that caters for adults and children from counties Cavan and Monaghan on alternate weeks.

"An additional five bedded residential respite centre for children in the Cavan/Monaghan area will be provided in Monaghan and in the meantime an interim five-bedroom residential respite facility will open there by the 1st October 2024,” he outlined.

The local deputy added that it is “essential” that further services are provided to ensure that there are standalone residential respite centres for both children and adults in Cavan and Monaghan.

“Respite services are vital to support families and places should be available when such support is needed,” stated Deputy Smith.

In Monaghan meanwhile, the Steadfast House facility is currently recruiting additional staff and it is anticipated to have additional respite nights operational by the end of the month. Steadfast House has been funded by the HSE to deliver 840 respite bed nights per annum in recent years.

Further to a recent successful business case submission by disability services locally, funding was obtained to increase that number to 1,500 under a service arrangement with HSE Disability Services.