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

I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the issue of the difficulties and delays being experienced with audiology services in Laois and Offaly. Under section 67 of the Health Act 1970, the HSE is required to provide free audiology treatment and appliances to preschool children and children of primary school age, including those taught at home, who are referred from child and school health examinations, as well as to adult medical card holders and their dependants.

Services for adult medical card holders include hearing assessments; hearing aid prescription provision; hearing aid management and rehabilitation; advice on assistive devices; and onward referral as required, for example, for medical intervention, assistive devices, communication supports and additional support.

Services for children include screening, assessment, investigations, treatment, habilitation and devices. This includes screening of babies shortly after birth, under the newborn hearing screening programme, to identify risk of hearing defects and speech and language therapy and referral of children with a hearing loss to the visiting teacher of the deaf services provided by the Department of Education and Skills.

The community audiology service for CHO 8, which includes Laois and Offaly, has experienced severe difficulty recruiting and retaining audiologists in the midlands. There is currently an allocated workforce of 6.6 whole-time equivalents allocated for the CHO, with 2.5 whole-time equivalent vacancies. Difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff have had a detrimental impact on waiting lists. There are currently 729 children aged up to 18 years and 654 adults on the audiology waiting list in Laois and Offaly. The longest waiting times for children aged zero to four is 156 weeks. The longest waiting times for children aged five to 17 is 140 weeks.

In March this year, the paediatric audiologist working in the midlands resigned and has not yet been replaced. In the interim, a 0.6 whole-time equivalent locum has recently been approved by HSE and is now in post.

In addition, both the national clinical lead in audiology and assistant national clinical lead for audiology are providing clinical support to the service. The service continues to look at options of increasing capacity on a temporary basis through waiting list initiatives. This is something we are taking very seriously.

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