Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 December 2022
11. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Health the steps that his Department is taking to address the barriers to the recruitment of occupational therapists into the HSE, particularly to address the delays in the provision of handwriting assessments for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61337/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI will start with a specific question and then broaden the discussion out. The specific question is on the issue of handwriting assessments, and the broader issue concerns occupational therapy. I ask the Minister the steps his Department is taking to address the barriers to the recruitment of occupational therapists into the HSE, and particularly to address the delays in the provision of handwriting assessments for children; and to make a statement on the matter.
I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. The Government is committed to delivering real and tangible solutions to enhance services to better support the needs of children with special needs in Ireland. The current delays in accessing therapy services, directly related to vacancies across the children’s disability network team, CDNT, network are acknowledged. Work is ongoing by the HSE to maximise the capacity of CDNTs via recruitment campaigns.
Funding has been provided for additional posts in recent years to enhance the capacity of the teams to ensure services can be provided. This funding provides for over 600 whole-time equivalent posts. The funding of these additional posts, including occupational therapists who can assist with issues relating to handwriting, is intended to increase capacity across teams and shorten waiting times. These additional posts are testament to this Government’s firm commitment to support the established CDNTs to prioritise interventions for children with complex needs. However, the HSE is experiencing ongoing challenges recruiting staff across a range of disciplines to fully staff each team. The HSE continues to work to ensure timely access to children requiring occupational therapy services, and to reduce waiting times for these important services.
Like so many of these things, this question arises from a specific query. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, will know the lay of the land well. It concerns the reconfiguration of services in County Waterford. A constituent in Tramore was transferred to the Dungarvan CDNT. After making an inquiry on her behalf, first of all I was told that the child's mother had waited for a number of weeks for a reply and an apology was made. That did not surprise me because I waited a number of weeks for a reply. If you contact the office, you get an automated response saying messages will be checked once a week. The child in question was told that unfortunately, the CDNT manager was not in a position to confirm when the child, who is 15, will be able to access the service. The child was further told that they will be able to access adult services when they turn 18, in three years' time. I find it very difficult to go back to that parent and tell her that we are instigating a recruitment campaign to shorten waiting times some time in the future, when she has been told that her child will not be seen for services as a child and has to wait to become an adult.
I assure the Deputy that the HSE is committed to delivering efficient, high-quality occupational therapy to all eligible service users. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is aware of the situation. I understand that she has met with representatives of CHO 5 in the hope that it can be resolved. She is aware of the issue. The Government is committed to delivering real and tangible solutions to enhance services to better support the needs of children with special needs. The current delays in accessing therapy services, which are directly related to vacancies across the CDNT network, are deeply regretted. Funding has been provided for additional posts. This funding provides for 475 whole-time equivalent posts. The additional posts are intended to increase capacity across teams and shorten waiting times. I will bring the Deputy's concerns back to the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte.
I have corresponded with the Minister of State, and I acknowledge that she is very proactive in this space. However, there is a persistent problem in the particular CDNT to which I have referred. It needs to be addressed and the issue needs to be resolved for the sake of the children and parents who so desperately need access to those services.
In October of this year, a survey of occupational therapists in Ireland found that more than two thirds of occupational therapists have experienced burn-out as a result of the job in the last 12 months and cite lack of staffing as a significant factor. They are being asked to carry too much in terms of workload.
There is a need for the Minister of State's Department to engage very proactively with the Department of the Minister, Deputy Harris, to make sure we are producing a sufficient number of graduates. The Minister of State needs to engage with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to ensure people are brought in and given the proper work permits. We need career guidance in secondary schools to tell people there are huge opportunities to make a difference here while having a worthwhile and productive career. I cannot just keep going back to parents to identify the problem. I have to start identifying solutions.
I thank the Deputy again for raising this issue. The HSE is continuing to explore a range of options to enhance the recruitment and retention of essential staff across all aspects of the health service. The Deputy suggested there is a role for the Department of the Minister, Deputy Harris. I absolutely agree with him. We can highlight these vacancies but also the opportunities for young people.
In addition, the HSE is working collaboratively with the CDNT lead agencies at CHO level to market CDNTs as an employer of choice in a competitive employment market. Each lead agency is responsible for recruitment of staff under CDNTs and is using a variety of approaches to fill funded vacancies.
