Vol. 444 No. 5
128 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Health the number of people on waiting lists for speech therapy in each of the community care areas in the Eastern Health Board area; the length of time they have been on those waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
There are 2,170 person awaiting speech therapy services in the Eastern Health Board area at present and the average waiting time is nine months. However, waiting times vary depending on the priority afforded to different categories of clients (eg. young children, stroke victims, motor neurone and multiple sclerosis sufferers) and on the staffing levels in particular community care areas.
Interviews to recruit additional speech therapists have been held by the Eastern Health Board and when the additional staff become available the waiting period for speech therapy services will be considerably reduced.
The following table lists the number of persons on the waiting list by community care area:
|
Community Care Area |
Number on Waiting List |
Length of Time on Waiting List |
|
Area 1 |
184 |
9 months |
|
Area 2 |
121 |
3 to 4 months |
|
Area 3 |
149 |
12 months |
|
Area 4 |
521 |
12 months |
|
Area 5 |
220 |
13 months |
|
Area 6 |
212 |
Priority — 2 months Non-Priority — 13 months |
|
Area 7 |
234 |
8.5 months |
|
Area 8 |
265 |
7 months |
|
Area 9 |
98 |
4 months |
|
Area 10 |
166 |
4 months |
