Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. It is not the first time that community healthcare organisation, CHO, 5 has been mentioned by her or her colleagues. The HSE and its funded disability partners will continue to provide therapeutic supports in line with the public health guidance and direction while also bearing in mind the availability of staffing resources. Some south-east community healthcare staff members, including speech and language therapists, were redeployed to the swabbing centres in line with the national priority.

The HSE is, however, currently engaged in a recruitment campaign for staff to support community testing facilities for Covid-19. The recruitment of these roles will support the return of staff who have been temporarily seconded to swabbing centres and contact tracing centres to return to their substantive roles. In the south east, the first group of swabbing staff commenced on 15 October and are currently being trained, which will facilitate therapists returning to their substantive roles. In addition, Covid-19 restrictions have impacted on speech and language therapy service provision in recent months. This service is working towards a full service resumption by ensuring that the appropriate measures are in place to guarantee safe service delivery to both clients and staff. Speech and language therapists continue to work with service users and their families remotely and to use technology in effective ways. In resuming services, guidelines on social distancing and infection control must be observed. Routine services have recommenced in recent weeks but at reduced capacity to comply with Covid-19 measures. This, unfortunately, has impacted on waiting times in each service.

South-east community healthcare staff fully understand the frustration of parents and acknowledge the concerns for prompt, continuous assessment of speech and language therapy intervention. They are hopeful, as am I, that services will fully resume at the earliest opportunity. In addition to the issues outlined, it is acknowledged that given increased referral rates and demand for assessment and intervention, there is a requirement for additional resources to meet the current need in each area of speech and language therapy provision. The Deputy mentioned the additional funding. Some €7.8 million has been allocated for assessments of need. While some 643 children in CHO 5 are waiting for an assessment, none of the network disability teams in that CHO is involved in swabbing.

All staff in those teams are in their posts. I spoke with Janette Dwyer of the HSE prior to taking the question this evening. I have asked that the HSE make it a priority in CHO 5 to follow what it has already done in respect to the network disability teams and prioritise the primary care team. Many of the staff referred to by Deputy Funchion working in primary care with those aged between six and 18 years as well as those in the early intervention team are actually out of primary care. That does not fall under my remit. This is not a case of me washing my hands of the matter. I spoke to the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, earlier to get his support for having the primary care team focus on returning our clinicians. This work is now deemed an essential service on the disability side. This is what I have received. Under level 5, my primary care members of staff will return to their posts in early intervention in speech and language.

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