I thank the Senator for raising this very specialised issue related to physiotherapy serivces. I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position on the matter.
I agree with her introductory remarks on the programme broadcast last night on RTE. I find it totally unacceptable and agree that we have to do something about the matter. That is the reality. Children, or anyone in pain, should not have to wait in pain for treatment. We have to deal with waiting lists. The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, has been very proactive in the last couple of hours in dealing with it through the hospitals and the HSE. However, it is unacceptable that people find themselves in that position.
To deal with the matter raised by the Senator, the HSE funds a range of community services and supports to enable each individual with a disability to achieve his or her full potential and maximise independence. Services are provided in a variety of community and residential settings in partnership with service users, their families, carers and a range of statutory, non-statutory, voluntary and community groups. Voluntary agencies provide the majority of services in partnership with and on behalf of the HSE. The HSE works very closely with a number of voluntary service providers that specialise in the provision of services for children with cerebral palsy, offering a number of therapy services, including physiotherapy and gait analysis. They include Enable Ireland and the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC. In 2005 the CRC commenced the provision of a range of services for people in the mid-west region, including the world's first gait laboratory. Significant resources have been invested by the health sector in disability services in the past few years, including additional funding of €31 million last year. The extra €31 million is also available for the social care and disabilities service plan 2017.
The First Step Therapy Centre is a private company based in Limerick that offers intensive physiotherapy programmes for children and adults with neuro-muscular disorders. The HSE acknowledges that service users may choose to access privately provided therapy services. However, it is not generally the policy of the HSE to fund private therapy sessions. I have set up a task force which I met in the past couple of days. It is looking at the idea of personalised budgets. It could be a situation where people might be given a certain amount to access physiotherapy services. Karen and Jack's case could easily fall within it.
The HSE is working closely with all service providers to ensure available resources are used in a creative and flexible manner in order to be responsive to the needs that present. However, the health service as a whole has to operate within the parameters of the funding available to it. In the current economic environment this has become a major challenge for all stakeholders, including the HSE, voluntary service providers, service users and their families. Physiotherapy services for adults and children are generally delivered through primary care teams, community therapy services, specialist disability service providers of early intervention services and children's teams which continue to be developed under the programme of disability services for children and young people aged zero to 18 years. The HSE also provides assistance devices for people with disabilities to enable them to maintain their health, optimise functional ability and facilitate care in the primary care setting. In addition, access to rehabilitation equipment is also provided, where appropriate.
The issues raised are very important. We have to look at some creative ideas to deal with cases such as that of Karen and Jack.