Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 2003

Vol. 566 No. 1

Written Answers. - Child Abuse.

Joan Burton

Question:

70 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to the very long waiting times for assessment and treatment at St. Louise's child sexual abuse unit at Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, where even those regarded as qualifying for the priority waiting list have to wait for three to four months; if there is a plan to provide additional resources to allow such victims to receive assessment and treatment in a reasonable timeframe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11990/03]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Responsibility for the provision of the services referred to by the Deputy is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the area health boards. When the authority were made aware of the current difficulties with waiting times for the services at St. Louise's assessment and treatment service, a review of the child sexual abuse assessment and treatment services in the eastern region was commenced. This includes a review of the services provided at St. Claire's unit, Temple Street Hospital. A steering group to oversee the review process, monitor progress and develop recommendations has been established and a dedicated researcher has been appointed. Some preliminary findings are available and work is ongoing in terms of continued examination of the current procedures, review of best practice nationally and internationally and recommendations for improved services.

I understand that preliminary analysis indicates that current numbers awaiting assessment are a total of 62 for both units and that these numbers have been decreasing as the understanding of the requirements for referral have improved. The current waiting times reported for urgent cases range from one week to three months while priority cases are seen in between three and five months on average. A number of factors have been identified that have contributed to these waiting times. These include: complexity of cases, amount of time spent on court work, difficulties in relation to retention of trained staff and delays associated with obtaining the required level of information from the various referral sources.

I understand from the Eastern Regional Health Authority that even at this early point in the review, potential initiatives have been identified for more collaborative work between the specialist services and community based services which can impact positively on the overall quality of the sexual abuse assessment and treatment service. In parallel, St. Louise's unit are appointing two psychologists and increasing the number of consultant hours to support the assessment process. Recommendations will be made based on the outcome of the review. The review is expected to be completed in eight weeks from now.