Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I hear what the Deputy is saying, as I do all Deputies on this call in regard to the long waiting lists for therapies. I hear from all Deputies about the lack of access to services. I acknowledge that. I am working with the heads of disability, the lead on disability within the HSE and the Department to put in place a proper process. Sláintecare funding was afforded to the Department of Health. We used it very wisely to address a specific issue raised by all Deputies on the assessment of need. We will need to use that process again. When we used the Sláintecare model on the assessment of need, we successfully dealt with the issue. We need to use that model throughout all of the therapies. I will not shy away from that. We need to access the Sláintecare model and funding to ensure we have a targeted delivery.

There is no point in only having targets. We need a lifelong plan of delivery. When we raise the boat, we need to give it a steady direction such that it does not fall off again, so to speak. There is no point in a having a short-term solution. We need a short-term solution but a long-term gain. That is what I want to see happening, particularly in regard to the therapies, which is an area of concern for all Deputies. That is exactly the plan in terms of the reform that took place in recent months. We are putting in place the progressing disability services, PDS, model, which by all manner and means is very testing. I am engaging continually every month at a national level with the HSE - it is very structured engagement - and every week with the Department to ensure this policy direction we have taken will work, most importantly for the families. We will need to take a Sláintecare approach to that in accessing funding to address the diagnostic needs within autism.