Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is one area on which we are still falling down and where there is huge neglect regarding children and I hope we can do something about it in the short to medium term. This is the situation where children are continuing to experience difficulties in accessing primary and community health services, as the Minister is aware. There is a major problem with regard to waiting times for essential services for children, including orthodontics, occupational and speech and language therapy, autism services and community psychological services. There are gaps and huge delays in the provision of these services for children. They often require a multidisciplinary approach, involving a number of specialised services. We will have to change our approach to the need for all the aforementioned services and to develop a proper community and primary care service and deliver in a timely fashion.

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