Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 July 2021
66. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the action being taken to reduce waiting times for assessments of need under the Disability Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37504/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn August 2020 the HSE secured €7.8m to address the issue of overdue Assessments of Need (AON).
This funding was provided on a once off and strictly time bound basis to eliminate all AONs overdue at 30th June 2020. While the number of overdue Assessment of Need stood at approximately 6,500 in June 2020, through a combination of different measures, by the end of April 2021 approximately 5,150 children have had their assessment completed, thus reducing the backlog to approximately 1,350 cases. An overall reduction, since the exercise began of approximately 80%. This is the latest information available in light of the recent cyber attack on the HSE's I.T. systems.
I am pleased to say that 3 CHOs have cleared their backlog of assessments, one of which has exceeded its target.
In a further effort to standardise procedures and to facilitate timely assessments, the HSE developed a Standard Operating Procedure for assessments. This was implemented for all applications for assessments from January 2020. As part of the HSE’s continuous quality improvement programme, it has committed to a comprehensive review of the operation of the Standard Operating Procedure.
In addition, 100 new posts have been allocated under the HSE National Service Plan 2021. Funding for these posts will facilitate each CHO area to determine the discipline and grade required to address the gaps in their Children’s Disability Network Teams. The 2021 allocation of posts is being assigned to the CHO areas in two tranches of 50 posts and will further strengthen the capacity of Network Teams.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
