Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for providing me with this opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I fully agree, and I know it is a view shared across government, that children who are seeking assessments of need must receive them in a timely manner. Funding has been provided to the HSE for additional posts in recent years to enhance the capacity of the children's disability network teams, CDNTs, and shorten waiting times. The overall funding in recent years provides for nearly 800 whole-time equivalent posts, including approximately 175 therapy assistance posts approved in budget 2024. The current delays in accessing therapy services are directly related to vacancies across the CDNT network. Work by the HSE is ongoing to maximise the capacity of each of the CDNTs via recruitment campaigns and other measures. These measures include sourcing therapy assessments and interventions via private service providers, along with the standing-up of regional assessment hubs.

My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is fully engaged with the HSE on the matter of recruitment. In addition to those mentioned earlier, there are specific measures being employed by the HSE to improve capacity. These include 227 additional training places that have been developed for health and social care professionals, which commenced in September, 147 of which are in the Republic of Ireland and 80 of which have been secured in Northern Ireland. In addition, the number of trainee psychologist posts increased by 45 posts per annum for the next three years and all final-year students who applied to national campaigns have been interviewed and placed on recruitment panels. These measures have been developed at a national level to address the needs of all CHOs and target the provision of timely service for both assessments of need and therapeutic interventions.

It is important to state that despite the challenges, significant work is ongoing, with over 45,000 children currently supported by the CDNTs across the country. It is acknowledged that there is yet more work to be done but the Minister of State firmly believes that the recently launched progressing disability services, PDS, roadmap will be the key to addressing this challenge. I thank the Senator again for raising this matter.