Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The specific assertion relating this case that a child had to have a blood test sent to England causes me great concern. It could be for specific reasons. I presume our labs cannot pick up the particular condition. That no one has contacted the family for ten months after the blood test being sent should not happen because we have primary care services. We need to get to get to bottom of that quickly. Will the Deputy send me the details of that case? It calls for clarity and a response.

On the other main point regarding children accessing therapies, seven or eight years ago, or perhaps longer, the progressing disability services, PDS, model was adopted. It did not get the resources in the early years because of the circumstances at that time. Resources have started flowing somewhat. There has been considerable disagreement regarding the PDS model. I have had considerable engagement with the HSE, particularly last year in my capacity as the Taoiseach. I convened a series of meetings around health and education, with the Minister of State responsible for special education in particular, on the need for children to access therapies far more quickly than is the case. It is working in some areas; in others, it is not so much. We have asked, in the context of special schools, which was agreed, that therapists lost to special schools be restored on a phased basis. That needs to happen more quickly and more in line with the dates agreed with the HSE. Access to therapies is a key issue and there is a problem with recruitment and retention of therapists in the area of children, paediatrics and in child services. There is catching up to be done. Other sectors of the health service seem to be recruiting therapists more easily than the child disability area, which is something I have observed, and it is not satisfactory either. We must get to the bottom of why that is the case.

More fundamentally, the responsibility for disabilities has transferred from the Department of Health more generally and from a policy perspective to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is at the Department responsible for children. There will be strong memorandums of understanding drawn up and agreements between the HSE and the Department responsible for children on how that will be rolled out, the allocation of funding and so on. We want a sharp focus on the provision of a sufficient number of therapists to enable children to access therapists far more quickly than they are. I acknowledge the issue. We have to try to solve it. It has built up over a long period.

See this speech in context