Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, and thank the Senator for raising it. I am pleased to take the opportunity to outline the current position on the staffing of occupational therapy posts in County Clare.

Under the Health Act 2004, responsibility for the management and delivery of health related services to individuals, including governance issues about the allocation and expenditure of funding for disability services, was vested in the HSE which is allocated funding directly from the Exchequer annually to fund the various health related services to individuals. Therefore, it is a matter for it to prioritise where this funding is allocated. It must manage the many demands on its services against the level of funding that can be made available. It cannot, however, guarantee that funding will be available for the type and location of every service requested.

On the Senator's question regarding the individual mentioned, the HSE has advised me that he is attending Clare school services and that the team, including the occupational therapist, is aware of the issues identified by the family in recent weeks, particularly his deteriorating behaviour in school. I have been assured that the HSE is in contact with the child's mother. It will engage with the team to seek a further update and ensure the services required are provided.

Expenditure on health services for people with a disability will be approximately €1.5 billion in 2011. Special consideration was given to disability and mental health services in budget 2011 through a maximum reduction of just 1.8% in the allocation for the two sectors. The relatively low reduction of 1.8%, compared to other areas of the health budget that saw reductions of up to 5%, recognises that these services are provided for vulnerable groups and to ensure existing services are maintained and that priority is given to the delivery of front-line services. An additional €10 million was also provided as demography funding in 2011. However, despite this substantial amount, the Government acknowledges the significant demand for new services and that there is a growing requirement to enhance existing services. This demand is driven by a combination of the growth in numbers of people with disabilities seeking services and the fact that people with disabilities are living longer, thankfully, owing to improvements in medical treatments and standards of care. This has led to a situation where demand for disability services always exceeds supply in any given year.

Services have been developed over time by individual service providers or former health boards and reflect the individual experiences and expertise of providers in meeting local needs. This has led to variations in the way services are configured and, in the provision of supports for children with disabilities, the HSE has recognised the need to enhance the level of consistency and standardisation in the way early intervention services and services for school-aged children with disabilities are delivered. The reconfiguration of existing therapy resources to geographic based teams for children and young people has been identified as a priority and is a key result area in the HSE's national service plan 2011. National, regional and local level structures are being put in place to progress this initiative which will have a positive impact on the assessment process for children with disabilities and the provision of appropriate clinical services and supports for them.