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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Oct 2002

Vol. 555 No. 5

Written Answers. - Autism Services.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

301 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which he intends to ensure that there are an adequate number of trained therapists to deal with autism nationally. [19246/02]

Additional funding has been made available annually in recent years to the health boards in respect of the provision of health related support services for persons with autism and those with an intellectual disability. In particular, €14.6 million has been invested in health related support services for children with autism or intellectual disability nationally since 1998. In addition to this ring-fenced funding, children with disabilities have benefited from the additional therapy posts which have been put in place in services for persons with physical or sensory disabilities. However, many health boards and specialist service providers have been experiencing difficulties in recruiting allied health professionals and specifically speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. This is due primarily to the general shortage of available staff in these grades nationally. Health boards and agencies continue to undertake intensive recruitment drives at home and abroad. My Department has asked the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority to explore other approaches which might result in the maintenance of an existing level of service provision or enhancement in line with agreed services developments for children using the resources allocated to the services. It is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards to decide on the specific approaches which they may consider appropriate in this area.

In response to my concern regarding the high level of vacancies my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions in the labour market for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The study was published in July 2001 and recommends a major expansion in the number of training places available for those professions. An inter-agency working group was established comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, HEA. The HEA, following a formal bidding process among third level educational institutions, has allocated an additional 175 training places to respond to the training needs identified in the study. In addition the Northern Area Health Board has just undertaken a concerted overseas recruitment drive on behalf of all health boards. Procedures are being streamlined to minimise the length of time taken to validate foreign qualifications consistent with the overreaching need to ensure that all therapists working in the health sector are appropriately trained and qualified. The report of the expert group on various health professionals recommended the establishment of a therapy assistant grade, where appropriate to provide practical support to therapists in their work and also to address the issue of skills mix. This recommendation will be progressed in 2002 in the context of the continuing implementation of the expert group's report. As the Deputy can see from the measures outlined above, the Government has been and is continuing to work to expand the level of trained therapists available nationally, including those available to services for persons with autism or intellectual disability.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

302 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children the way in which he intends to ensure that the Midland Health Board's childhood autism team has an adequate number of properly trained therapists. [19247/02]

Olwyn Enright

Question:

303 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children if funding will be made available to the Midland Health Board to provide proper facilities and buildings to operate the childhood autism service. [19248/02]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 302 and 303 together.

Additional funding has been made available annually in recent years to the health boards, including the Midland Health Board, in respect of the provision of health related support services for children with autism and those with an intellectual disability. Revenue funding amounting to €14.6 million has been invested in these services nationally since 1998. Significant capital funding has also been made available to services for persons with autism and those with an intellectual disability to support the development of services in recent years. Many health boards and specialist service providers have however been experiencing difficulties in recruiting allied health professionals and specifically speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists. This is due primarily to the general shortage of available staff in these grades nationally. Health boards and agencies continue to undertake intensive recruitment drives at home and abroad. My Department has asked the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority to explore other approaches which might result in the maintenance of an existing level of service provision or enhancement in line with agreed services developments for children using the resources allocated to the services. It is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards to decide on the specific approaches which they may consider appropriate in this area.
In response to my concern regarding the high level of vacancies my Department commissioned a report from Dr. Peter Bacon and Associates on current and future supply and demand conditions in the labour market for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. The study was published in July 2001 and recommends a major expansion in the number of training places available for those professions. An inter-agency working group was established comprising representatives of my Department, the Department of Education and Science and the Higher Education Authority, HEA. The HEA, following a formal bidding process among third level educational institutions, has allocated an additional 175 training places to respond to the training needs identified in the study. In addition the Northern Area Health Board has just undertaken a concerted overseas recruitment drive on behalf of all health boards. Procedures are being streamlined to minimise the length of time taken to validate foreign qualifications consistent with the overreaching need to ensure that all therapists working in the health sector are appropriately trained and qualified. The report of the expert group on various health professionals recommended the establishment of a therapy assistant grade, where appropriate to provide practical support to therapists in their work and also to address the issue of skills mix. This recommendation will be progressed in 2002 in the context of the continuing implementation of the expert group report.
As the Deputy can see from the measures outlined above, the Government continues to work to expand the level of trained therapists available nationally, including those available to services for persons with autism. The Government is also committed to the ongoing development of services for persons with autism and those with an intellectual disability as outlined in the programme for Government.

Olwyn Enright

Question:

304 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans he is putting in place to deal with the projected growth in the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorder. [19249/02]

Significant additional funding was provided by the Government in recent years for services to persons with autism and those with an intellectual disability. This investment facilitated the development of a range of services including residential, respite, day and home support services, health related support services for children and specialist support services. Further additional revenue funding of €25 million was provided in 2002 to continue the expansion of these services.

My Department is working with the health boards to improve the level of information available on the needs of this group, including the development of an information system which will provide specific information on the needs of persons with autism, similar to that provided by the national intellectual disability database. I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to the ongoing development of services as outlined in the programme for Government.

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