Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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86. To ask the Minister for Health if an international recruitment campaign for healthcare professionals, including therapists, is under way in the context of employment with the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37477/22]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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There has been a welcome increase in the number of personnel employed by the HSE in the past two years. I presume some of those people were recruited through an international recruitment campaign. I know from working with advocacy groups that are outlining the need for better services for children with a disability that they are very anxious that additional therapists be recruited. Apparently, such therapists are not available in this country or on the neighbouring island. The groups have been strong advocates for recruiting internationally for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue relating to recruitment generally, as well as for health and social care professionals and therapists and, as the Deputy rightly stated, in the area of children's disability services. I acknowledge that recruitment is very challenging at present, particularly as we are dealing with the effects of the global pandemic. However, it is worth nothing that recruitment in the past two years has been the highest in the history of the HSE. There is a lot more that needs to be done. Hundreds of posts have been sanctioned in disability services and those posts need to be filled. The quickest and most effective way to make sure that every child gets the assessment and treatment he or she needs is to hire those therapists. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is working every day to fix this problem. We have sanctioned hundreds of posts around the country that are not yet filled. As they get filled, there will be a substantial increase in the number of therapists available and that will make a big difference. Ultimately, we have to get these waiting lists down to zero. No child should be waiting for an assessment or therapies.

More broadly, the workforce has grown by nearly 15,000 whole-time equivalents since 2019. It is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate and is on track to grow by approximately 5,500 whole-time equivalents this year, which would be an increase of approximately 4% in just one year. To put it in context, the workforce grew by approximately 2,400 whole-time equivalents since the end of 2021.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I am glad that he indicated his particular concern regarding the lack of adequate numbers of therapists to deal with children with additional needs or a disability. I have been engaging with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, on the problems in Cavan-Monaghan, the area I represent. The House recently dealt with legislation aimed at ensuring that children with additional needs get a placement in an appropriate setting in a school. All present are aware that, in many instances, delays in getting assessments for those children deprives them of an appropriate placement in a school. It is essential that assessments take place in a timely manner and that the follow-up treatments and therapies, if needed,are put in place at an early date. Many families are buying services. They cannot afford to do so but are doing it for the sake of their children. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the need to ensure that as many therapists as possible are recruited to reduce considerably the unacceptable delays that exists at present in places such as Cavan and Monaghan.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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There are two groups specifically providing the service for children with disabilities. One is the community disability network teams through the progressing disability services strategy and the other is what we would consider to be normal primary care teams. The hundreds of vacant posts are in the area of progressing disability services. They are being filled but we need to do so as quickly as possible. As regards primary care, I am delighted to be able to say that we have sanctioned 3,500 staff across the country in enhanced community care programmes. More than 1,600 of them have now been recruited and over 500 more are at an advanced stage. Nearly 80% of the allocated new developments posts in CHO 1, which includes Cavan-Monaghan, the area represented by the Deputy, have been filled.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The recruitment in the Cavan-Monaghan area particularly relates to the enhanced community care programme, the launch of which I recently attended with the Minister at Cavan General Hospital in Lisdaran. I compliment Suzann O'Callaghan, the manager of the hospital, and Rose Mooney. the manager of services for the elderly in Cavan-Monaghan. They have put a great system in place there. The general hospital and services for the elderly are working together to bring as many services as possible nearer to home for people who need them. That is particularly beneficial for older persons. Good progress is being made in that regard.

As regards children with a disability, we have to ensure priority is attached to this issue. I have another question tabled on a related matter but I do not know if it will be reached. It have received representations that, as a country, we should be employing more therapy assistants. Apparently, that works very well in Britain. I know that is outside the remit of this question but it may be an area that should be given further consideration.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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It is certainly something that can be examined. Many different areas, such as advanced practitioners in health and social care professional grades, are also being considered as well. We are looking into a lot of innovation in this regard.

To go back to the original question on international recruitment, we are supplementing the national workforce through international recruitment across several professions. The recruitment of doctors from overseas has long been a feature of HSE recruitment but, last year, in addition to doctors, approximately 1,000 nurses were recruited from the international market. So far this year, an additional 650 nurses have been recruited into posts in hospitals and community settings. There is a strong international recruitment campaign under way.