Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 May 2019
6. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Health the action being taken to reduce the long waiting times for a first assessment for occupational therapy in counties Laois and Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20912/19]
View answerI acknowledge that the current time to access Occupational Therapy services can be too long in certain locations and that this may cause anxiety for parents and patients who are currently waiting to access services.
That is why the HSE will be prioritising investment in Occupational Therapy in 2019 to reduce waiting times and improve access to services. Across the country, 40 additional OTs will be recruited by the end of the year, and there will be a focus on addressing those cases where people have been waiting over 52 weeks. In total, HSE’s National Service Plan estimates that over 350,000 primary care occupational therapy patients will be seen in 2019.
In addition, local HSE management continue to endeavour to provide the highest quality service and to prioritise referrals based on clinical need. In 2018 and early 2019, management in CHO 8 developed waiting list initiatives that were targeted at those waiting longest for OT services. As a result of this, there was decrease of 400 in the number of the longest waiting clients in Laois and Offaly, a reduction of 35%.
Further efforts to tackle access times and implement service improvement plans will be considered as resources permit. Notwithstanding the HSE's current interim financial and recruitment control measures, I believe that it is essential that we continue to invest in and develop our primary care services and infrastructure in order to reform and modernise our health system to ensure better access to care and deliver sustainability and best value for population health.
