Children’s therapy waiting lists
Deputy Donnelly cites a case of a child waiting over 72 months for disability services and asks if emergency measures are needed. The Tánaiste says there is a serious issue with access to therapy, that recruitment problems persist, and that Cabinet is considering alternatives.
A parent received a letter from the Blakestown community disability network team which stated:
your child meets the criteria for supports for the interdisciplinary team. Your child is on the waitlist for services since the date of receipt of referral,1/11/2021.
Currently there are extensive waiting times in excess of 72 months for the team...
Does the Tánaiste believe that this is now a crisis that needs immediate emergency measures?
Comment on this
I do believe there is a very serious issue here in relation to children’s access to therapy. There are recruitment issues within the HSE but in my view we must look at other mechanisms and initiatives to deal with this. We are dealing with this at Cabinet subcommittee level at the moment and will be pursuing alternative approaches. However, that length of time is not acceptable.