I wish to share my time with Deputy Dukes.
Adjournment Debate. - Speech Therapy Service.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I thank the Chair for affording me the opportunity to raise this important matter. I ask the Minister of State to bear with me in what is a rather intricate outline of various events.
On 29 January 1997 the principal of St. Lazerians special school in Carlow town, which is situated in the South Eastern Health Board area, wrote to the acting director of community care, Eastern Health Board, Wicklow town, stating that in her school a speech and language therapy service was being provided for pupils who resided in the South Eastern Health Board area. She indicated that the service did not extend to pupils who resided in other health board areas and that the need for therapy for these pupils was urgent. On 18 February 1997 the principal received a response which stated that in the Eastern Health Board area children who attended special schools were seen by the therapists in those schools regardless of their home address, that the children would be placed on the Wicklow waiting list and would, in due course, be offered appointments at the nearest speech and language therapy clinic. Unfortunately, in the case to which I am referring, this would involve taking a day off school and a one and a half hour return journey.
In addition, the acting director of community care in Wicklow said she would write to the director of community care in Carlow to see if a more satisfactory solution could be arranged. In May 1999 I received correspondence from the East Coast Area Health Board stating that only one in five of the children concerned took up the offer of the service in Wicklow. It was also pointed out that it would not be a productive use of time to travel from Wicklow to Carlow and back when a speech and language therapy service is already available in the school. No one could disagree with this point.
The east coast area health board tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a deal with the South Eastern Health Board whereby it would deal with children from the South Eastern Health Board area who are geographically suited to the east coast area health board region in exchange for its treating these five children.
In June 1999 I tabled a written question on this matter to the Minister for Health and Children and was told that the South Eastern Health Board was willing to enter negotiations with the east coast area health board concerning the future development of speech and language therapy services for the children in question. Almost four years later the girl, who is now eight years of age, has received no therapy. This is an unreal situation which beggars belief. I am sure the Minister of State will agree this is unacceptable and I am asking her to right this wrong. One of the reasons given for breaking up the former Eastern Health Board was to bring health services to the people. There was a language and speech therapy service in Baltinglass hospital for children in the greater west Wicklow area but this has been moved to Naas since the re-establishment of the board. I ask the Minister of State to consider reinstating this service in west Wicklow.
I thank the Deputy for sharing time. The problem referred to by the Deputy frequently occurs in areas on the border between two health board regions. However, there is a further dimension to this problem which is repeated in many parts of the country. Parents of children in need of these services who live near Kildare town and Newbridge in my constituency, and in Clane and Celbridge in the adjoining con stituency of Kildare North, have to bring their children to Tallaght for speech and language therapy. These people spend the greater part of a day getting their children to this service.
I understand that the Department allocated money for a centre in Naas but has been unable to find a premises. I ask the Minister of State to ensure that, in conjunction with the demarcation problem which is quite common, these services are made available within a reasonable distance of the homes of children as otherwise the service is not available.
It is utterly unreasonable to expect a parent to travel for one hour from her home, as is typically the case, to the place where the child receives the service, to wait for two hours, drive home again and, on arriving home, have to go out again to collect other children from school. There is a demand in County Kildare and areas bordering two health board areas which needs to be met rationally. Demarcation disputes between health boards should not be allowed to obstruct the provision of these services.
I thank Deputies Timmins and Dukes for raising this matter. As the Deputies are aware and have highlighted, the provision of speech and language therapy services in the Wicklow and Carlow regions is the responsibility of the east coast area health board and the South Eastern Health Board in the first instance. With regard to the matter raised by Deputy Timmins, a replacement speech and language therapist has recently been appointed and will be deployed to provide services to the school which the individual in question attends.
The Deputies will be aware that all health boards are facing considerable difficulties in recruiting and retaining the necessary multidisciplinary staff, including speech and language therapists, required to provide health related support services to school-going children with special needs. There are currently two vacant speech and language therapist posts in the Carlow-Kilkenny area. Because of the difficulties in recruitment and retention to which I referred, it has been necessary to limit the services provided to all children attending the school in question.
The South Eastern Health Board is endeavouring to increase the level of services generally and, in particular, to the school in question. I understand that the east coast area health board made a number of proposals, including the provision of an after-school service, but that the parents of the individual in question do not feel this is an appropriate response in this case. I would like to make it clear to Deputy Timmins that it is the difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified therapy staff in both health board areas which has led to the limitations in service, rather than any question as to which health board is responsible for providing services to the school in question.
The South Eastern Health Board and the east coast area health board are fully conscious of the concerns of the parents of the school children. I assure the Deputies that both health boards will continue to explore all possible means to increase the provision of services to the school in question and the Minister has asked them to keep him informed of progress in this matter.
As regards the broader issue of recruitment and retention of staff, I assure the Deputies that my Department is pursuing a number of initiatives to address the difficulties faced by the health services. Earlier this year, the Minister received the final report of the expert group on health professionals. Part of this group's remit was to deal with recruitment and retention issues. It is hoped that its recommendations in these areas will help alleviate some of the current difficulties.
The report recommends that action be taken in relation to manpower planning. A manpower planning study for the therapy professions has been undertaken and is being progressed as a matter of urgency. Following discussions with the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, significant progress has been made recently in relation to increasing the numbers of training places for allied health professionals. An additional 52 places for physiotherapy, three for speech and language therapy, five for occupational therapy and 20 for psychology came on stream this month.
The Higher Education Authority is also establishing a group comprising representatives from each of the three physiotherapy schools to investigate the establishment of a fast-track physiotherapy programme to begin in each school from October 2001. A similar exercise can be undertaken for speech and language and occupational therapy. At least a further 19 psychology places will be available from October 2001 and a service review of psychology services is currently under way in the health boards.
The Department of Health and Children has been liaising with other Departments, health boards and the Federation of Voluntary Bodies Providing Services to Persons with a Mental Handicap, to ensure that every opportunity is taken to highlight the career opportunities available in this sector and to maximise the results achieved by the various recruitment processes which are undertaken by the services.