Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 March 2023
24. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the assessment of needs waiting lists for occupational and speech therapy; the measures his Department is taking to tackle these waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15661/23]
View answerFirstly, it is important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need (AON) to access health services and parents may refer their child directly to their local Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT).
AONs carried out under the Disability Act 2005 are multidisciplinary assessments, rather than an assessment under one discipline. There are 4,613 applications for an Assessment of Need under the Disability Act 2005 that are overdue at year end 2022.
Using AON statistics collated from Q4 2022, the HSE estimate that c.65% and 60% of the above figure may have a requirement for Occupational Therapy Services or Speech and language Services respectively.
Arising from High Court judgment in 2022, the HSE’s procedure for Assessment of Need was found not to meet the requirements of the Disability Act.
The HSE’s National Clinical Programme for People with Disability (NCPPD) has led the process of developing Interim Clinical Guidance to replace the Preliminary Team Assessment. This new Interim Clinical Guidance has now been clinically approved and is currently being assessed, from a legal perspective, by my Department. It is expected that this Interim Guidance will allow clinicians assess children in a manner that is clinically appropriate and legally robust, balancing the statutory requirement of assessments and the imperative for therapy interventions.
Over €11m has been allocated to address waiting lists for clinical assessments identified through the Assessment of Need process. This funding will be utilised to fund a number of initiatives including the procurement of assessments from the private sector nationally. In parallel, a large scale international procurement process is being progressed.
