I suggest that we write to the contact in the HSE regarding the responses from Professor Cowan, who states the following at the end of her letter:
We welcome the recent significant investment and bed capacity provided in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it does not sufficiently address the well-documented bed capacity shortcomings in the Mid-West region, nor does it adequately address the continuing growth in demand for emergency care.
In addition to inpatient bed capacity shortages, there is a need to significantly increase the number of NCHDs employed at University Hospital Limerick in order to alleviate growing pressures and to support new Consultant posts approved by government in recent years.
Both of those statements show that Professor Cowan, at management level, is dissatisfied with the level of assistance the hospital has been given to deal with population growth in that region. The sentence on non-consultant hospital doctors speaks for itself. I recommend that the committee contact the HSE and ask for a response to Professor Cowan's statements. Is that agreed? Agreed. I also say to the group, as we have said before, that things move slowly and there is a process in this committee and the Oireachtas. It takes time, and it can be frustrating to wait for a proper outcome. However, to be fair to staff in the secretariat, they do significant work on these cases, including this one. Information received by the committee is forwarded to the petitioner and will be forwarded to the HSE for comment in the next 14 days. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Petition No. 1 of 2023, from Mr. Mark Darmody on behalf of Cara Darmody, seeking immediate financial relief for autistic children whose families are paying privately for assessments and therapies; proper oversight and an external complaints system for the HSE; and a full review of carer's allowance and how carers are viewed. The petitioner advises that this petition has three aspects to it, all of which are connected. First, over 18,000 children are waiting long periods for autistic assessment on HSE waiting lists. It is accepted that it is the State's responsibility, through the HSE, to pay for those assessments. However, because the State is failing in its responsibilities to assess in a timely manner, parents are forced to pay privately for those critical assessments. Parents are also forced to pay privately when the State fails to provide therapy services such as speech and language therapy, SLT, occupational therapy, OT, psychology, etc.
Mr. Carmody advises that no parent should have to finance such services or assessments and that a mechanism must be immediately introduced to ensure that no parent bears the cost for the State's failure to provide services. Second, he seeks an external complaints mechanism for the HSE, as well as a health oversight authority, similar to the present Garda policing model. Parents across the country believe the HSE is not accountable for its actions as it investigates itself. Mr. Darmody contends that the Ombudsman for Children does not have the investigative powers to properly oversee the HSE.
Finally, because having disabled children leads a parent to becoming a carer, the petitioner seeks a full review of the position of carers. The petitions case manager corresponded with Mr. John McKeon, Secretary General, Department of Social Protection, on 2 March and received a reply on 9 March 2023 setting out the Department's position on this matter. The committee recommends that the correspondence from the Department of Social Protection be sent to the petitioner for comment within 14 days and that the secretariat forward the petition to the Department of Health and the HSE for response. Do members have any views?
