Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte has said intensive communications have happened over the weekend in relation to the transfer of services from St John of God Community Services to the HSE, adding she remains "hopeful" a resolution will be found.
Last week, SJOGCS announced that it would transfer all services to the HSE due to what it described as a "failure to conclude a funding agreement with the HSE" aimed at "securing the future financial sustainability of the organisation".
SJOGCS provides disability and mental health services to 8,000 children and adults and employs 3,000 staff.
The National Parents and Families Association on Saturday had echoed a call from the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly for both sides to return to talks.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Rabbitte said she is hopeful because the HSE, the Department and SJOGCS have worked over the weekend intensively, with Chief Executive Bernard Gloster to issue a letter today.
"I'm hoping that he has reassured again the ongoing funding, which was in his letter on the 15th, around the sustainability of the service for 2024. Commitment is there, plus there is an ongoing commitment to addressing the deficit over the coming months," she said.
Ms Rabbitte said she recognised the amount of anxiety it has been caused for families and the lack of communication and engagement.
She said it has caused a lot of "upset and anxiousness to staff, families and most importantly the service user", adding that there are meetings today to find a resolution.
"Since 2020 the HSE and the Department put in place a sustainable impact assessment. And that was to look at two parts of it. One was to look at the day-to-day operational and to ensure that Saint John of Gods could have enough funding to be operational and to actually provide the services.
"The other part of that sustainability impact assessment was to look at their deficit".
She said that the assessment is still a working document between the HSE and SJOGCS.
In relation to funding, she said up to four years ago "there wasn't adequate funding for the simple reason being that there is a changing need ... because service users are getting older.
"But for the last four years the HSE have funded, and that was the commitment that went in the letter from Bernard Gloster on 15 February. And that's why I had severe disappointment that I felt that that letter didn't get enough attention where he committed to the 2024 sufficient funding.
"The other side of it is the deficit that has built up over years and that needs to be gone through between the HSE and St John of God to come to a proper resolution."
Asked about commitment to staff, she said the transition for staff "should be seamless".
"There should be no loss of staff or anything else. The service needs to be provided. But I do believe there should be good, proper communication with the unions and the staff as well," she said.
She added: "I have full confidence in the ability of St John of God's reps to come to a positive conclusion and for Bernard Gloucester to negotiate that piece."
Speaking on the same programme, SIPTU Health Organiser Kevin Figgis said people’s fears can only be allayed if the HSE, SJOGCS and the Department of Health return to the negotiation table.
"I think that the way that this has developed over the last number of days I think is really regretful. To think that here we have a provider of a public service over the last number of weeks writing to staff, writing to service users' families, and basically saying to them that these services were under threat," he said.
He added: "And then that subsequently then led to the letters last week where they said, look negotiations have broken down, and as a result, we are going to do an orderly withdrawal, and we will be gone by the middle of August."
He added that the HSE’s statements about a "€200 million budget" followed by SJOGCS describing a €30m deficit should not be happening in public.
"It provides fear, and it obviously destabilises the service itself, so these people should really be returning to the negotiating table, there should be absolute transparency between them in relation to them funding that is actually required to provide this service, and they should be agreeing on the figure."
He said responsibility lay with negotiators on both sides.
"What it does not lie with is that they bring it out on various tranches in the public because then you have the situation where service providers, their families and staff feel that they become pawns in the game of chess of a negotiation and these services are far too vulnerable, the service users are far too vulnerable."
