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

Let us be very clear. In budget 2021, I secured 100 therapy posts and halfway through the year, because of the way the progressing disability services model, PDS, was rolling out, I was fortunate, along with the Minister, to secure an additional 85 therapists posts. Coming out of budget 2022, we have secured 190 therapist and administrative staff. They will be added to the 91 teams and we are adding the administrative staff. The purpose of the administrative staff is I have speech and language and occupational therapists and physiotherapists filling out their paperwork. I need them delivering the intervention and the service. The purpose of having those administrative staff will ensure our therapists are delivering the service. I am confident with the €10 million, my action plan will start to reduce the waiting list and backlog and the number of people getting those horrendous letters. It is important for me to say the horrendous letters the HSE send out without having a full assessment done is very unfair on parents.

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