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

The assessment hubs were one of the items the HSE delivered on time for me. I compliment the HSE and thank it for actually addressing it. It is important to say it is a big part of our PDS roadmap. It is not the silver bullet. It will not solve it, but it is putting a structure and shape to it.

At present, a combination of AON administrative and assessment hubs have been established in each CHO, with each CHO developing an approach to the establishment of a hub based on the unique circumstances that apply in the CHO as well as the capacity they have within their existing resources.

The assessment hubs will play a significant part in addressing the AON challenge, however they will not, in isolation, solve the matter. Additional capacity in the system by way of successful recruitment and retention is the key to ensuring that CDNTs have sufficient capacity for AONs and therapy interventions. This will allow families access to both and it is an issue placed extremely high on the HSE's agenda. In this regard, disability services have recently been exempted from the HSE recruitment embargo.

In addition, private providers are also currently being contracted by the HSE and lead agencies in order to increase capacity for assessments. The Department and the HSE both acknowledge that the provision of assessments is a particular challenge due to their complexity and length but significant work is ongoing.

The hubs are currently in place in all of the CHOs. Some have colocated on one particular site and others do it online, but at the end of the day they are all working and they are all recruiting the skill set that is required to have a proper pathway for the children.

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