Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 February 2014
761. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the current resource and staffing levels for speech and language therapists working in the disability service early intervention and school age teams in Laois and Offaly; the timescale for children waiting for this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8210/14]
View answer762. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Health the current resources and staffing levels of occupational therapists and psychologists working in the disability service early intervention and school age teams in Laois and Offaly; the waiting time for children to be seen by the occupational therapist; the maximum waiting time a child is currently on this waiting list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8211/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together.
The Government is committed to the provision and development of services for children with a disability, including early intervention and school age services, within available resources. While these services are in the process of being reconfigured under the HSE’s National Programme on Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18 years), it is important to note that all HSE areas have significant services in place for children with disabilities aged up to eighteen years. These are provided directly by the HSE or by voluntary service providers funded by the HSE.
The aim of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme is to achieve a national, unified approach to delivering disability health services so that there is a clear pathway to services for all children, regardless of where they live, what school they go to or the nature of their disability. An additional €4m has been specifically allocated in 2014 to drive implementation of the Programme. This equates to approximately 80 therapy posts.
Almost 60 geographic-based multi-disciplinary teams have been established to date under the Programme as part of the reconfigured service model. It is hoped that a further 30 teams will be reconfigured this year, bringing the overall total to approximately 90 teams by the end of 2014. These figures reflect all children's disability teams that provide early intervention and school age services to children aged up to eighteen years. The transition to this new model is taking place on a phased basis and, importantly, includes consultation and engagement with stakeholders, such as service users and their families.
Within this context I have asked the HSE to provide the Deputy with the detailed information requested concerning children's disability services in Laois/Offaly.
