Deirdre Clune
Ceist:434 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapist posts funded in each health board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18507/99]
Written Answers. - Speech Therapy Service.
Deirdre Clune
Ceist:435 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of vacant speech and language therapist posts; the average length of vacancy in each health board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17413/99]
Deirdre Clune
Ceist:436 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapist posts filled on a temporary basis in each health board area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18528/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 434 to 436, inclusive, together.
The number of speech and language therapists – basic, senior, principal I and principal II grades – employed in each health board region, comprising the health board, voluntary and mental handicap agencies, broken down into permanent, excluding career breaks, and temporary staff is attached. The data supplied is taken from the Health Service Personnel Census taken on 31 December 1998. The data supplied is given in whole-time equivalents.
The management of services and the deployment of staff is a matter for each individual health agency. Current personnel policy for the health services provides that health agencies may fill vacant non-consultant posts without recourse to the Department. For this reason the information requested on the number of, and the average length of vacancies in health agencies, is not available in my Department.
Speech and Language Therapists (Permanent (excluding career breaks) and temporary) by Health Board Region at 31 December 1998
|
Permanent (excl. career breaks) |
Temporary |
|
|
Eastern Health Board Region |
93.00 |
24.00 |
|
Midland Health Board Region |
13.00 |
7.00 |
|
Mid-Western Health Board Region |
19.00 |
2.00 |
|
North-Eastern Health Board Region |
16.00 |
0.00 |
|
North-Western Health Board Region |
19.00 |
0.00 |
|
South-Eastern Health Board Region |
7.00 |
0.00 |
|
Southern Health Board Region |
25.00 |
8.00 |
|
Western Health Board Region |
21.00 |
3.00 |
|
Total |
213.00 |
44.00 |
Deirdre Clune
Ceist:437 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of speech and language therapists required to meet the projected needs of children attending mainstream schooling, special schooling and those individuals with mental handicap and learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17416/99]
The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of speech and language therapists required to meet the needs of children in mainstream and special schools and those with an intellectual disability is not available to my Department.
Decisions regarding the recruitment of additional multi-disciplinary support staff, including speech and language therapists, for services to persons' with disabilities are a matter for the health boards in consultation with the regional intellectual disability co-ordinating committees and the regional physical and sensory disability co-ordinating committees in line with the priorities for service developments which have been identified for their regions by these committees.
The report of the Review Group on Health and Personal Social Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities, "Towards an Indepen dent Future", published in December 1996, sets out the requirements for the development of these services, including speech and language therapy services. The report recommended that 150 new speech and language therapy posts be put in place over the following years. Additional speech and language therapy posts have been put in place in recent years in both the intellectual disability and physical and sensory disability services as a result of additional funding allocated to these services.
I should point out that the recruitment of paramedical staff generally is presenting problems throughout the health board regions. Labour Court Recommendation No. 15515 recommended,inter alia, that an expert group should be set up to examine and report on the changes that have taken place in a number of professions, collectively known as the paramedic or allied healthcare professionals group, which group included speech and language therapists. The terms of reference included changes that have taken place in the relevant professions, career structures, problems in relation to recruitment and retention, the role of each profession, training and education, management structure and development within each profession, interaction with other disciplines and development plans for delivery of services. The expert group has largely completed its investigations, which consisted of assessing submissions from each profession and site visits both in Ireland and abroad to assess working methods, standards, best practice, etc. It is expected that the expert group will issue its report before the end of the year.