Catherine Murphy
Ceist:
5. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Health when he intends to move forward with employing extra occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and psychological services to address the shortfall which exists in all three services; the numbers of new recruits expected to be employed; the locations that will be targeted for the deployment of new therapists; if the budget that was withdrawn in 2012 has been reinstated for 2013 in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14362/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra
The Government is committed to reforming our model of delivering health care so that we can reduce the cost of achieving the best health outcomes for our citizens. The implementation of the primary care strategy continues to be a priority for the Government. The objective is to develop services in the community that will give people direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams of general practitioners, GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others.
An allocation of €20 million was set aside in the HSE's 2012 national service plan for approximately 250 primary care posts. Due to financial constraints, however, it was not possible to fill these posts last year. This allocation of €20 million is ring-fenced in the 2013 national service plan to enable recruitment of posts to strengthen primary care services. The posts will be filled using the resource allocation model, based on deprivation and need, which was developed by the HSE's National Primary Care Office and health intelligence unit. Using this model, the HSE completed a detailed analysis of the numbers and distribution of public health nurses, registered general nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists. The analysis revealed considerable variation across the 17 integrated service areas, ISAs, in ratios of health care professionals to population and to population numbers in areas of high deprivation.
Based on this analysis, it proposed that, in addition to public health nurse and registered general nurse posts, the following therapy posts will be recruited to primary care teams across the four HSE regions as follows: Dublin mid-Leinster is to get 12 occupational therapists, 24 physiotherapists and 22 speech and language therapists; Dublin north east is to get nine occupational therapists, 14 physiotherapists and 13 speech and language therapists; the south is to get 17 occupational therapists, six physiotherapists and four speech and language therapists; and the west is to get 13 occupational therapists, two physiotherapists and seven speech and language therapists. It is my firm intention, along with that of the Minister for Health, to have these posts and the public health and registered general nursing posts filled as soon as possible in 2013.
In relation to mental health, a special allocation of €35 million was provided in budget 2012 to be used primarily to further strengthen community mental health teams in both adult and children’s mental health services.
A total of 414 posts, to include clinical psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, were approved to implement the €35 million package of special measures. As at end of February, 307 posts have been filled, by which I mean an employment contract has issued and is signed with a start date agreed, and the remainder are at various stages of selection.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Budgetary pressures within the HSE delayed the full utilisation of this funding, but this sum is now available to mental health services along with an additional €35 million allocated in budget 2013 for the continued development of mental health services. The HSE National Service Plan 2013 commits to a number of objectives including the further development of forensics and community mental health teams for adults, children, older persons and mental health intellectual disability and to the recruitment of 477 additional staff to implement these measures.
In order to ensure that the additional resources will be used to best effect, discussions are ongoing within the HSE, and in consultation with the Department of Health, to finalise the allocation of these resources. Each HSE region is being asked to submit a business case against each of the identified objectives detailing how the funding is to be spent and the type and number of whole-time equivalents, WTEs, to be recruited. It is expected that this process will be concluded in the very near future.
My colleague, the Minister for Health, has been assured by the HSE that the recruitment process for the new mental health posts being funded in 2013 and any outstanding posts from the 414 approved in 2012 is being given priority within the HSE.
I tabled this question because not a day goes by that someone does not come into my office or contact me by e-mail or otherwise about the deficiency of services in my area. Most of the people to whom I speak have heart-breaking stories about lobbying for services that do not exist. I welcome the fact that the money is ring-fenced for this year but the fact that it was in the budget for last year and was not spent leaves me very nervous about what will happen this year. I would have thought if the 2013 allocation is ring-fenced that we would already have begun to see people filling those posts. I could give a litany of people who indicate-----
Could the Deputy ask a question please?
I will ask a question. I could give a litany of cases that indicate the kind of problems that exist and where there is not even a waiting list. Given the ring-fencing of the money for 2013, why have those posts not been filled at this stage? What assurances can I get from the Minister that the money will go where it is intended because that is not what happened last year?
I understand the point raised by the Deputy, but we are proceeding with the recruitment of the posts. I have indicated that already in terms of the mental health posts for which my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has principal responsibility. The primary care posts will be filled. There is not a basis for any nervousness about the posts. I say that in good faith, straight to the Deputy through you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. There is no basis for nervousness and the primary care posts will be filled this year. As a sign of our intention and goodwill in that regard, one can see on the basis of the information I have just given the progress that has been made on the mental health posts. Similarly, the Deputy will see the primary care posts filled. I have been in touch with the director-designate of the HSE about the posts as recently as today. The posts are going ahead and they will be filled.
My nervousness is based on an unwillingness to welcome the posts until I see the people physically in place. When that happens I will be the first one to welcome them because they are critically important for children given that the windows of learning opportunity must be filled at an appropriate time. I see the upshot of the posts not being filled last year by virtue of the fact that I have a stream of people coming to me about deficiencies in service. Will the posts be filled in the first half of this year? If the situation drifts into the latter half of the year I would be concerned about the way budgets can get depleted and the ring-fencing becomes unhinged.
There will be no unhinging of any fence with regard to these posts. The Deputy is correct to raise the issue and I have no difficulty with her doing so and pressing me on it. My job is to deliver and I will deliver.
