Children’s primary care therapy delays
Liam Quaide describes years-long waits for children needing psychology, occupational, speech and language, and physiotherapy services. The Taoiseach points to increased staffing and funding but agrees that the service model and workforce approach require radical change.
The crisis in primary care services for young people was back in the news again this week. It took persistent follow-up to parliamentary questions from me earlier this year to reveal its scale. The fact is that children throughout the country were routinely waiting several and sometimes many years, not just for psychology but for occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. The longest wait in Dublin North-West for psychology has reduced from 13.5 years to ten years in recent months. It is an incredible picture of Government failure to engage in proper workforce planning and recruitment of necessary staff. The crisis has been drastically worsened by the HSE recruitment embargo in 2023 and 2024 and similar restrictions since, through the Government's pay and numbers strategy, a reality the Taoiseach previously denied in Leaders’ Questions. This primary care crisis is affecting all disciplines in all areas of the country, despite Simon Harris’ contention in mid-2024 that it was isolated to psychology services in Cork and Kerry. Where is the workforce planning and the comprehensive recruitment drive to address it?
Comment on this
There has been a significant increase in health personnel in the last five years - dramatic increases.
Comment on this
If we are honest, what is required here is a more radical look at the model. It is not working.
Comment on this
Just a minute. It is not just more, more, more from the State. People have to look radically at this. Professional bodies have to look at it, in terms of how people are assessed and dealt with and how services are provided, because the number of therapists has increased with recruitment and so on. We are open to doing more, and we have provided more funding for more.
Comment on this
The model has to change as well in terms of how services are structured and provided. The HSE did develop a primary care intervention targeted approach in respect of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. It needs to do it now, and it is going to embark on one for psychology as well.