Seanad debates
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Adjournment Matters
Domiciliary Care Allowance
6:25 pm
Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State. Last week I raised an issue on the domiciliary care allowance with the Minister for Social Protection. When I received her reply I then sought the qualifications of relevant medical assessors that work in the domiciliary care allowance section. I sought to identify which applications it dealt with and asked if it dealt with domiciliary care, disability benefit and a raft of other applications. I was told that there were a total of 27 medical assessors. This evening I want a list, in tabular format, that clearly states the qualifications of each one. I do not need to know their names but I do need to know their qualifications.
Those dealing with domiciliary care allowance are dealing with the cases of many young children with an intellectual disability. It is appropriate that people with relevant qualification deal with their applications.
6:35 pm
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Social Protection has 22 medical assessors, including the chief medical adviser and the acting deputy chief medical adviser. A further three medical assessors have been appointed recently by the Public Appointments Service and two commenced work in the first week of November and the third will commence on 21 November.
To be appointed to the role of medical assessor, candidates are required to be fully qualified and experienced medical practitioners and be on the general register of medical practitioners while holding an appointment. It is a necessary requirement that, on appointment, they have at least six years satisfactory experience in the practice of medicine since registration.
While many of the medical assessors have specialist postgraduate qualifications, including occupational medicine, psychiatry, surgery and general medicine, a specialist postgraduate qualification is not a requirement for appointment as a medical assessor. Consequently details of such postgraduate qualifications pertaining to individual medical assessors are not collated as a matter of routine and as a result, details of what postgraduate qualifications each and every individual medical assessor may have are not readily available.
All medical assessors have received special training in human disability evaluation. The medical assessors are committed to continuing medical education to ensure that standards are maintained and enhanced. Ongoing medical education is provided by national and international experts in the evaluation of disability. There are also regular meetings and seminars under the direction of the chief medical adviser where a range of medical issues and developments in the occupational medicine field are discussed.
It should be noted that medical assessors are not specifically assigned to one particular scheme. All of the medical assessors complete desk assessments of medical evidence submitted on customer claims, appeals and reviews on all of the Department's disability and illness related schemes.
Following their appointment as medical assessors for the Department, medical assessors undertake contractually to not engage in private practice or be connected with any outside business which would interfere with the performance of their official duties.
Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael)
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That reply answers my question. I rest my case. They are not qualified and therein lies the whole problem. They are dealing with children with severe intellectual disability on whom extensive clinical assessments have been carried out by a range of therapists, clinical psychologists, child psychologists, occupations therapists and more. We have people who are not qualified adjudicating on those applications. I see that two medical assessors have been lost since I received a reply last week stating the number was 27.
I cannot stand over the fact the State is not addressing the needs of our most needy children. I have sent in rafts of forms and supporting documentation. Today proves that doing so is not worth the paper the forms are written on. These applications have been assessed by those who are clinically qualified in the HSE and in the early intervention services in the country. We need medical staff who are clinically qualified to assess those applications. I know the Minister of State cannot answer that question but I appreciate that he came to the Seanad to reply to my question.
Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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To be fair, there are 22 medical assessors and three new people have been appointed, bringing the number up to 25. In the first week of November a further two commenced employment bringing the figure to 27. I will relay the Senator's concerns to the Minister and I am sure the Senator will raise the issue again.
Jillian van Turnhout (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State.