Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I raise the issues of what approach is being made to secure staff for the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, in south Tipperary, and what is the availability of private providers to fill the gaps that are being left because of lack of services, especially regarding provision for children who have been assessed. On the first issue, I have been told that staff in the CDNTs in Clonmel are leaving at an alarming rate and are not being replaced or not being replaced at a regular pace. This is having a massive impact on families who are waiting for assessments. What does the Minister of State believe would be an effective recruitment process, one which would will keep people in these roles and ensure they are not in turnover so often?

I understand that disability services nationally are working with HSE procurement to develop a tender process for service specification and delivery of assessment. What is the Minister of State doing to improve that? We raise this matter over and over again. How can we get people into the service and keep them in the service?

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