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Proposed Legislation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 October 2021

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Questions (378)

Peter Burke

Question:

378. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Health his plans for impending legislation to be enacted regarding the diagnosis of an autistic child by a psychologist or health professional (details supplied). [48768/21]

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Written answers

Historically children’s disability services have been provided by a range of statutory and non-statutory service providers that delivered services based on a child’s diagnosis or age. The type and level of service provided varied widely across the country. This resulted in a situation whereby access to services depended on where the child lived, where they went to school, their age and their diagnosis. In some cases, children were transferred between waiting lists as their diagnosis was unclear. In parallel, many families were advised to apply for an Assessment of Need (AON) under the Disability Act (2005) as a means of securing a diagnosis and subsequent access to services. Consequently, waiting times for AON increased and the HSE was unable to meet its legislative obligations in this regard.

The Progressing Disability Services for Children & Young People (PDS) programme represents a major reform of services for children with complex needs. Children’s Disability Network Teams are being established that will provide services for children with complex needs based on their needs and on their address. Access to these CDNTs is not linked to diagnosis or school placements. To address issues associated with AON, the HSE implemented a Standard Operating Procedure for AON for all new applications from January 2020. This procedure defines an AON as a preliminary team assessment that determines whether or not a child has a disability as defined by the Act. This system is designed to ensure that children access timely assessments and intervention. The establishment of CDNTs in association with implementation of this SOP ensures that children and families access appropriate supports as quickly as possible.

The Children's Disability Network Team includes a range of health professionals, such as Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists, Paediatricians, Physiotherapists and Social Workers. The HSE has its own standards and criteria for employing health professionals and all professionals on the team will have the appropriate level of expertise to assess the child.

There is no legislation that prohibits a health practitioner from offering a private diagnosis, however, a diagnosis of autism can often require an assessment by a multi-disciplinary team.

When seeking any private health service, it is always advisable to check the health professional’s qualifications. Some professions, such as psychiatrists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists are statutorily regulated and the register of their regulator can be checked to ensure they are appropriately qualified - www.medicalcouncil.ie/public-information/check-the-register/, system.coru.ie/index.php/SearchMember/Find

Other health professions are not currently statutorily regulated but this does not mean that practitioners are not fully qualified to practise their profession. If a practitioner is unwilling or unable to provide proof of qualifications, it may be prudent to seek assistance from an alternate source. In the case of some health professions, there are also professional bodies that can be contacted for advice, mindful that membership of a professional body is not always a requirement to practise, the Psychological Society of Ireland (PsSI), the professional body for psychologists in Ireland, being an example. The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 provides for the statutory regulation of psychologists in the future, and work is ongoing towards opening the register.

If further information is required regarding HSE procedures in this area, please do not hesitate to contact this department and my officials will request that the Executive forward the relevant information to you directly.

I hope this provides some clarity to the Deputy.

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