Coronavirus: Delays in return of support services leaves Manx mum 'on knees'

Several care services stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic

A mother who cares for her adult son has said delays in the return of Manx support services after the Covid-19 lockdown have left her exhausted.

Diane Torin said before the outbreak, she had access to day and night care for her son, who has complex needs.

However, that support was removed during lockdown, which left her "on my knees", and has yet to resume fully.

A government spokeswomen said returning services was "necessarily a gradual process requiring careful management".

Previously, Mrs Torin's son, who has cognitive delay and limited mobility, attended several day care services and she received three nights' respite care, but that stopped in March due to coronavirus.

During lockdown, she looked after her son, who is in his 20s, with the help of a friend, which left her "on my knees and desperate to sleep" by the end of May.

Adult care services have been gradually returning since the lockdown was lifted in June, but not all have resumed.

Mrs Torin said she had been offered one day's respite care a week when she contacted the Department for Health and Social Care in June but they had "changed their minds" and instead offered to place her son in full-time residential care.

"They said I will have access to him, but it's not the same," she said.

"They're saying it's in his best interest that he stays in one place, but that's not true." she continued.

The spokeswoman said the government could not comment on individual cases, but work was being done to "ensure appropriate future support is provided for the best outcomes for each individual".

She said the priority was "always to support vulnerable adults and children", but the resumption of services was "necessarily a gradual process requiring careful management".

A return to pre-coronavirus "levels of provision is expected by the start of August", she added.