Delayed child assessments
Deputy Stanley highlighted overdue assessments of need for children, including in Laois and Offaly, and urged faster access to private clinicians. The Taoiseach replied that assessments were increasing, private providers were being funded and more capacity was being added.
I also welcome the visitors in the Gallery. The HSE has stated that the assessments of need for 15,292 children are overdue, meaning they have gone past the legal timeframe of six months. Legally this should be completed within a six-month period. A total of 13,002 have been waiting for more than nine months and 418 of these are in counties Laois and Offaly. This is totally unacceptable. The cohort affected are missing out on essential interventions at a crucial point in their development. Within the past week, the HSE chief, Bernard Gloster, stated that it is going to get worse before it gets better. HSE sources indicate it could hit 25,000 by the end of the year. Last year, the HSE sought tenders for private clinicians to help reduce the waiting list, but some clinicians have stated they have been waiting eight or nine months to get approved due to bureaucracy and red tape within the HSE.
Comment on this
While I know there has to be procedures, I want the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health to put some urgency on this and get the HSE to shorten the procedure period to get these private clinicians in place to provide the services. Nine months is too long.
Comment on this
I answered some of this earlier in response to a different question. Just to get a sense of perspective, progress is being made even within the existing system. There is no doubt there is a significant increase in people waiting. However, over 4,000 assessments were completed in 2024, a 30% increase on 2023. Some 1,400 assessments were completed in the first three months of this year, a 65% increase compared with the same period last year. A total of 2,479 assessments were commissioned from private providers at a cost of nearly €7 million, targeting the longest waiting families through the HSE's waiting list initiative. We will do everything we can to accelerate procedures, but we need to change the legislation so that we prioritise access for children to therapies. At the moment, the way things are legislated for, it is the assessment of need first and then there is a long delay while they are awaiting access to services. The CDNTs are getting more people recruited and that is also a positive.