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

Children with complex special needs access therapy services through the children’s disability network teams, CDNTs. These services can be accessed through the assessment of needs, AON, process but children do not require an assessment of need under the Disability Act to access health services. The Government and the HSE both acknowledge the challenges in meeting the demand for these disability services and are acutely aware of how these challenges impact on children and their families.

The HSE has advised that there are currently 124 outstanding applications for assessment of needs in the Tipperary area, CHO 3 and CHO 5, at the end of quarter 1 of 2023. A total of 42 new applications for assessment of needs were also received in this time.

The High Court judgment delivered in March directed that the preliminary team assessment, PTA, approach did not fulfil the requirements of the assessment of need under the Disability Act. The judgment stated that a diagnosis is required to determine the nature and extent of a person’s disability. In that regard, new interim clinical guidance to replace the PTA has been clinically approved. This guidance has been designed to take cognisance of the March 2022 judgment that requires a diagnostic assessment. In the last month, the new clinical guidance has been submitted to the Department for consideration by me and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman.

The HSE has been allocated €11 million in budget 2023 to facilitate additional assessments through a suite of measures, including the establishment of dedicated AON assessment teams; private procurement and overtime initiatives for existing staff; and the recruitment of administrative resources to free up therapists to assist with AONs. The HSE is continuing to review the files of all children who received a preliminary team assessment. If the Deputy wishes, I can go through it in more depth for the past two years.

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