Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue today. There have been significant year-on-year increases in the number of children applying for assessment, including for autism spectrum disorder and for disability services generally, which has led to delays in timeframes. The clinical picture of autism is complex and variable because of differences in the severity of autism itself.

In the 12 months prior to October 2017, Cork-Kerry community healthcare had received a total of 1,110 referrals for assessment under the Disability Act. In January 2017, approximately 808 applicants were waiting to move from stage 1, the assessment officer stage, to stage 2, the clinical assessment. I understand that a number of initiatives had been put in place in Cork-Kerry community healthcare, including recruitment of additional administration staff and additional assessment officers to screen applications. By October 2017, the waiting list had reduced to 137. The backlog has now been cleared and all assessment of need applications are commenced within a month. There are, however, a very high volume of applications coming through for assessment of need in Cork, with upwards of 100 applications being received per month.

At the end of April 2018, there were 1,150 children awaiting stage 2 clinical assessment as part of the assessment of need process in Cork. Approximately 800 of these cases have been referred for an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, assessment. The Cork-Kerry community healthcare organisation recognises the long waiting times for clinical assessments within the current assessment of need process, and a pilot project has commenced with the South Lee ASD team to look at reducing the time taken to undertake an ASD assessment.

In an effort to standardise assessment of need procedures and to facilitate timely assessments, the HSE identified a requirement to develop a standard operating procedure, SOP. This SOP is intended to replace the suite of approximately 50 guidance notes that have been issued since 2007 and will define the assessment. It will ensure a standardised approach across the State in respect of the operational application of the Disability Act 2005 and provide an important opportunity to balance and ensure equity in terms of assessment and support interventions for vulnerable children and young people with a disability. The HSE recognises that early intervention services and services for school-aged children with disabilities are paramount and need to be improved and organised more effectively. This process is well under way nationwide.

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