Results 6,481-6,500 of 10,833 for speaker:Anne Rabbitte

Written Answers — Department of Health: Respite Care Services (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Government is committed to providing services and supports for people with disabilities which will empower them to live independent lives, provide greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhance their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs and plan their lives. As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, recognises the need to improve services for both children and adults with disabilities through better implementation and by working together across Government in a better way. The Government commits to prioritising early diagnosis and access to services for children and ensuring that the most effective interventions are provided for each...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Primary Medical Certificates (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Disabled Drivers and Disabled Passengers (Tax Concessions) Schemecomes under the remit of the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners. The extent of the involvement of Health Service Executive (HSE) personnel in the Scheme relates to making a professional clinical determination as to whether an individual applicant meets the specified medical criteria for a Primary Medical...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the deputy directly, as soon as possible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for this opportunity to address some of the issues raised in the recent and very welcome report of the Ombudsman for Children on unmet needs. The assessment of needs backlog has been a top priority for me since taking up office as Minister of State with special responsibility for disability. To put it simply, the current waiting times for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank Deputy Whitmore for her questions. I watched the meeting last week. I have watched the committee proceedings for the past number of weeks, to be honest. I compliment the committee on all the speakers it has brought in because it is getting a wide flavour of all the challenges that are there. I was a spokesperson for children and youth affairs and a week never went by in my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: Yes. They are the leads. They are the people who have been engaging in the process so far. That is my understanding and if we are to look at it in the round and have a fair understanding of why we have decided to use this model, I want it understood that this model is not adding an extra layer but is the right thing to do by families. It is not based on an idea of protecting the State...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: On the backlog and the SOP, the reason I sought the funding was that, as of 30 June, there were 6,500 children on a backlog and only a very small proportion related to the SOP at all. They were historical. They were not sick for three or six months but for nine or 12 months. That is primarily what the funding was for. The proportion of those on the SOP was minute. The first would have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I am more than happy to provide Deputy Sherlock with an answer this minute. As of 30 June, CHO 4 had 1,098 children on the backlog for assessment of need. The funding was provided and the HSE put in place a plan. The numbers at the end of each month are as follows: in September it was 1,069; on 31 October it was 1,000; and on 30 November it was 743. To reverse it, in CHO 4 during...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I am led to believe that 90% of those assessments are full assessments of need, as were there in 2019.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: That is a very relevant question and I welcome the opportunity to answer it. All members have a breakdown of the €7.8 million per individual CHO. The CHOs were then tasked with addressing it and they set their own timelines and targets. I did not set them. As part and parcel of that, they had to engage with private providers to have the assessments done in a timely fashion because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: What I would like to do with the money that has been delivered is carry out a cost-benefit analysis. Out of that, I would see exactly what was delivered through the HSE, what was delivered through the section 38 and 39 organisations and what was delivered through private providers. We need to drill down to see that the money being provided by the Department is being spent in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Deputy asked many questions and I was very slow at writing them down. I will start at the end. He asked me if the money will go into a black hole if it is not used. It will be used because every one of those 6,500 children is going to get their assessment of need. This money is going to be used. That is why I am holding monthly meetings and that is why I can tell Deputy Sherlock what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: There are two answers to that question and I do not want to evasive. First, the reason we have to deliver on the comprehensive assessment of needs is that the backlog was there before 2020. That is what has to happen. To my understanding, the reason the standard operating procedure was brought forward was to streamline the entire procedure. People are of the opinion that the standard...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I have noted everything Senator Ruane raised. She has asked some mind-blowing questions that I have asked myself.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Senator for that but I want to address what she asked. Regarding the pre-assessment and the word "streamline" that is used, I asked about that and the answer I got was that we would have the same procedure happening right across every community healthcare organisation, CHO, in the country. To reverse back to 31 December 2019, it was not the case that all CHOs in the country...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The HSE would say that the SOP is about that. It is important that the question is asked again when it comes before the committee. It says that one can have an assessment done in a timely fashion and a child that presents with speech and language needs will get intervention straight away, but a child with more complex needs will go on for further assessment, which is like the comprehensive...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Senator is correct that there is a significant gap between assessment and therapy. I am trying to get to a point where we do not have a backlog for assessments of need and timely intervention and therapy become the priority. The Senator and I have both seen the letters to say that a person is on a two-year waiting list for speech and language therapy. That is unacceptable. We have to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: I thank the Senator for raising the matter and she is correct. Where the therapist has built up a relationship with a young person, it is very easy to continue in the virtual environment, although it does not work for everybody. We are trying our best to get back to face-to-face therapy and we must do that. We must learn to live alongside Covid-19. I will take on board the Senator's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Anne Rabbitte: The Senator mentioned CHO 7 and as of the end of June 2020, the figures for the assessment of needs backlog was 1,056. On 30 September 2020, that was 1,050 and at the end of October it was 1,005. In November the number was 846. I can flip this to what has been completed. In September the number of cases dealt with in CHO 7 was six while the number completed in October was 45. The number...