Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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578. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a county breakdown of the number of children currently on waiting lists for speech and language therapies; the numbers waiting six months or less; the numbers waiting six months to 12 months; the numbers waiting 12 months to 24 months; and the numbers waiting more than 24 months. [6287/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Health related supports and interventions for children can be accessed through HSE Primary Care Teams and HSE Disability Services. The HSE’s National Service Plan 2013 provided for additional funding of €20m to strengthen primary care services (€18.525m for the recruitment of 264.5 primary care team posts and €1.475m to support Community Intervention Team development). Of the additional 264.5 posts allocated, 47 whole-time equivalent Speech and Language Therapy posts were approved. The recruitment process is ongoing in relation to these posts, with the majority of the posts filled or offered with start dates to be agreed. The HSE is striving to have the remainder of the posts filled as soon as possible in 2014.

I understand that each individual presenting to the HSE's speech and language service has an initial assessment to determine their individual need for therapy. The therapist, in conjunction with the parent(s) or carer, will determine the severity of the individual’s difficulties and prioritise for therapy accordingly. The level of intervention is in line with clinic policy, age and severity of the diagnosis. The waiting period for intervention is dependent on the nature and severity of the disorder following assessment. In an effort to address the issue of waiting lists and ensure that services are delivered in as equitable a manner as possible within available resources, the HSE has introduced a number of initiatives such as therapists increasing clinic based work instead of domiciliary work and providing family centred interventions in a group as opposed to a one-to-one setting, whenever possible.

The reconfiguration of children’s disability services into geographically-based multi-disciplinary teams as part of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People Programme will ensure an equitable delivery of services. The purpose of the reconfiguration of existing therapy resources is to ensure that the resources available are used to best effect, in order to provide health supports and ongoing therapy to all children (0-18 years) in line with their prioritised needs. In particular, it will mean that all children, regardless of where they receive their education services will have equitable access to services based on their needs.

The 2014 budget for Disability Services is being maintained broadly in line with 2013, with targeted investment of €14m for a number of developments, including the roll out of the Progressing Disability Services for Children and Young People (0-18) Programme, which will entail the provision of 80 additional therapy posts, to increase services for children with all disabilities. A proportion of these will be Speech and Language Therapy posts.

My Department has requested the HSE for the detailed information concerning speech and language therapy waiting lists at county level that he has requested and I will be in further communication with him in this regard as soon as possible.