Ms Vickie Kirkpatrick:

I do not have particular statistics on how people access services, but with regard to speech and language therapy, it depends on the governance and the various systems in place. Waiting times in social healthcare are problems in many places. It is about how to create a solution that fits the local level. In my home place of Ontario in Canada, there could be various waiting times along the pathway, which is why in the Irish context the pathway should be as straightforward as possible with a one-point access for families. This is the purpose of the national access criteria. There is a HSE document on ensuring that, from public health nurses to assessment of need officers, there is a transparent pathway for parents to navigate with regard to wait times.