Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the opportunity. I wish to raise with the Tánaiste the issue of services for children with intellectual disabilities. I sent an email to community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1 on 28 July. I will read a part of it:

I am writing with regard to a family living in [Leitrim]. The daughter, Maggie ... (aged 10 years) has yesterday been discharged from CAMHS due to her condition being [considered an] Intellectual Disability. The Mother, Jennifer ... has been informed that there are no services locally for her to be referred to and [she] is not permitted to transfer to services in other areas or to access private services unless [she] can pay for it [herself]. The Mother [has] nowhere to access [private psychiatric services or to issue medication in those situations].

I received a brief acknowledgement of this email. I emailed again two months later but have heard nothing. I have rung the office of CHO 1’s chief executive several times about this issue. The situation is the same for many children across many parts of the country. There are four intellectual disability teams in the State, yet children who are in an area that does not have one are not allowed to transfer to any of them. I expect the reason is that the teams are overrun. The child in question had a tumour and went through two years of chemotherapy. This child needs help. Her parents are at their wits’ end, yet the HSE, which we as a State pay to provide these services, is not providing them. Something needs to be done urgently for this child and others in the same situation.

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