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Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

CDNT therapy rationing

Summary

Catherine Murphy complained that HSE children's disability network teams are effectively rationing therapy by providing one service at a time and leaving many children waiting. The Taoiseach said he would examine the specific case and did not want to stand over any such rationing.

I raise the issue of services being rationed by the HSE. The executive will only provide one therapy at a time. Let us take, for example, a child who is neurodivergent and requires several therapies, such as occupational and speech and language therapies. That child will not get parallel services even if they are vital to his or her needs. If a child goes onto a children's disability network team, CDNT, list, the HSE takes that child off its list and he or she is denied services. The CDNTs currently have 16,500 children on waiting lists, with 10,500 on those lists for more than a year. Will the Taoiseach address the policy of rationing vital services, and the absence of services, with the CDNTs? It is impacting really seriously on children who need multiple services.

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Simon Harris The Taoiseach Fine Gael

I certainly will take a look at the specific scenario the Deputy has outlined to the House. I had a meeting relating to CDNTs yesterday, with the Ministers of State, Deputies Rabbitte and Naughton, and others, at the Cabinet committee on disability. I received some encouraging numbers on recruitment numbers into the teams. Certainly, the word "rationing", if that is what is happening, is not one I would like to stand over in any way. If the Deputy gives me the specific details of the case she raised, I will revert to her.

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