Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this very specialised issue relating to physiotherapy. I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position on the matter.I agree with her introductory remarks on the programme last night on RTE. I find it totally unacceptable and I agree that we have to do something about it. That is the reality of it. Children, or anyone in pain, should not have to wait around like that. We have to deal with the waiting lists. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has been very proactive over the last couple of hours in dealing with it through the hospitals and the HSE. However, it is unacceptable that people are in that situation.

In regard to the Senator's matter, the HSE funds a range of community services and supports to enable each individual with a disability to achieve his or her full potential and to maximise independence. Services are provided in a variety of community and residential settings in partnership with service users, their families, their carers and a range of statutory, non-statutory, voluntary and community groups. Voluntary agencies provide the majority of services in partnership with, and on behalf of, the HSE. The HSE works very closely with a number of voluntary service providers that specialise in the provision of services to children with cerebral palsy, offering a number of therapy services, including physiotherapy and gait analysis. These include Enable Ireland and the Central Remedial Clinic, CRC. In 2005, the CRC commenced the provision of a range of services to people in the mid-west region, including the world's first gait laboratory. Significant resources have been invested by the health sector in disability services over the past number of years, including an additional funding of €31 million last year. This extra €31 million is also available for the social care and disabilities service plan 2017.

The First Step Therapy Centre is a private company based in Limerick that offers intensive physiotherapy programmes for children and adults with neuro-muscular disorders. The HSE acknowledges that service users may choose to access privately provided therapy services. However, it is not generally the policy of the HSE to fund private therapy sessions. I have set up a task force and I met with it in the last couple of days. It is looking at the idea of personalised budgets. This could be a situation where people might be given a certain amount of funding to access physiotherapy services. Karen and Jack's case could easily fall under that.

The HSE is working closely with all the service providers to ensure available resources are used in a creative and flexible manner in order to be responsive to the needs that present. However, the health service as a whole has to co-operate within the parameters of funding available to it, and given the current economic environment this has become a major challenge for all stakeholders, including the HSE, the voluntary service providers, service users and their families. Physiotherapy services for adults and children are generally delivered through the primary care teams, community therapy services, specialist disability providers or early intervention on children's teams from zero to 18 years of age, which continue to be developed under the progress and disability service for children and young people zero to 18 programme.

The HSE also provides assist devices to people with disabilities to enable them to maintain their health, optimise functional ability and facilitate care in the primary care setting. In addition, access to rehabilitation equipment is also provided where appropriate. The issues raised are very important and we have to look at some creative ideas to deal with situations like Karen and Jack case raised today.