We are doing our children a disservice and it's an absolute disgrace.
That's according to Cavan Senator Pauline Tully who spoke at a protest that was held today in Cavan over accessing speech and language therapy.
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.
Senator Tully said it's not fair and this is a denial to children's human rights. She said if they don't get the support that they desperately need now, this will have a major impact throughout their livelihoods. The Sinn Fein Senator says this issue needs to be addressed now, adding that it's an absolute disgrace.
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.
