Long waiting lists for speech and language therapy are having a detrimental impact on children according to a number of Cavan parents.
A shortage of speech and language therapists are being blamed for the long waits, which average almost a year.
A peaceful protest was held in Cavan Town this morning outside the HSE building on the main street in the town to highlight the plight of local parents. Parents gathered said access to services without years of waiting needed to be a priority.
They say children with additional needs must get timely access to therapies like speech and language, occupational therapy, and psychology, adding that waiting over 5 years was unacceptable.
Other requests from the concerned people gathered at the protest said the HSE must fully staff all CDNTs, which they say are severely under-resourced, leaving children without essential services. Local parent Rachel Kearns says families should be told where their child is on the waiting list and how long it will take.
She says every child in Ireland deserves equal access to support, no matter where they live and Cavan children are being left behind.
Meanwhile, Serena Dawson, who's a parent of three children with additional needs, says parents aren't professionals and early intervention with children is absolutely vital
She says enough is enough.
The HSE has issued Northern Sound with the following statement: The HSE acknowledges the concerns raised by families participating in the protest today regarding delays in accessing services for children with disabilities.
‘We hear the frustration of families, and we share their commitment to improving care and access’ said Edel Quinn, Head of Service, Disability Services. ‘There is a growing demand for Children’s’ Disability Services. There are significant challenges at this time for Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) to achieve the level of service that we want to provide. Some of these challenges include reduced staff resourcing issues coupled with the increased demand for our services.’
There is an acknowledged national and international shortage of health and social care professionals with the necessary qualifications and experience. The HSE and Enable Ireland are actively working on recruitment and retention measures for the children’s disability network teams.
Staffing levels at Enable Ireland have increased in the first quarter of this year, which has allowed Enable Ireland to commence a waitlist initiative focussing on a review of children who had been waiting the longest for services. Children are initially being reviewed by Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy and this initiative will continue for the remainder of the year.
The CDNT continues to work creatively and use the limited resources available as effectively as possible. One such example is dedicated time to see babies under 18 months presenting with significant complex needs in 8 weeks or less from receipt of referral.
Enable Ireland are very cognisant of young people who have been waiting for services and are approaching age 18. They endeavour to provide services to this group of children before they transition out of children’s services.
There are also a number of initiatives underway in Primary Care Children Services aimed at both reducing waiting times to improve access to services and improve the quality of service provided to children and families.
The HSE and Enable Ireland apologises to children and their families who are experiencing long waits or who have had a poor experience in trying to access care.
