Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of children receiving substandard services in children's disability network teams, CDNTs, in Carlow. I was disappointed to read in a response to a parliamentary question I submitted that the HSE has delayed a new children's service facility in Carlow which was to be the new home for the CDNT. Part of that was to include the Holy Angels centre.

A funding allocation of approximately €7.1 million was identified for the project, and a design team was engaged and proceeded with the design process last year. My understanding is that the stage 1 report from the design team in December 2023 estimated that the cost of the project would significantly exceed the funding allocation. We welcomed the funding allocation, which is in the capital plan, but we have been told there is not enough money. The HSE disability service estate is arranging stakeholder engagement to review the project and provide a revised scheme of the works and funding. I ask that funding be put together urgently because it is needed.

We need investment, innovation and reform. If we cannot future-proof a development such as this, how will we prioritise our disability services? When we began implementing disability services in CHO 5, the core focus of the change was to ensure the children with complex needs, and their families, would receive an appropriate and accessible family-centred service. However, I am hearing every day that this is not the case.

There is only one CDNT led by the HSE in Carlow, which is located in Bethany House, on Barrack Street. Across that team, there are 294 children with complex disabilities registered for clinical services, 50 of whom have active individual family support plans. Some 230 children are waiting on initial contact. I have been told that filling vacant clinical posts across these teams is the HSE's top priority in order to address the needs of children, deal with waiting lists and provide clinical services to new applicants.

I believe there is a proposal to move to an alternative model of enhanced disability services in the community by way of increased support hours in a home setting, increasing capacity in current respite services and offering alternative models of delivering respite services. We are not adequately serving the needs of the children, however. My office makes at least one representation a day for a child waiting on speech and language therapy, occupational therapy or autism assessments. I know of families who are going into debt in order to get vital interventions for their children.

What priority is being put on recruitment? There is no embargo on recruitment for these posts. When I spoke to Bernard Gloster recently, he assured me that interviews were taking place for staff for South East Community Healthcare services for all vacant clinical posts.

It is my understanding these interviews were completed on Friday, 16 February 2024 and that job offers from the recruitment campaign are in train. Is there any way we can speed up this process because it is so important? In Carlow, family forums have commenced to provide information to families on the services the CDNTs are providing and resources available to them, but families are telling me these are not working the way they would like. They feel they are just a box-ticking exercise. The next family forum meeting was scheduled for today and I will be contacting the families to see how it went. The CDNT in Carlow continues to receive referrals and many end up in the family forums. We need to see real action. Staff growth in this area is very important.

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