Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Health the extent of the current address of the individual needs of those persons who are being allocated a wheelchair; if it is intended to legislate for this area, in order to ensure that every consideration is given to the comfort of the user and the appropriateness of each wheelchair issued, given the ambition, hopes and interests of each individual and their personal circumstances and needs; if any intended legislation will provide for a register of wheelchair users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42905/15]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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The HSE provides assistive devices to people with disabilities, who are medical card or Long Term Illness card holders, to enable them to maintain their health, to optimise functional ability and to facilitate care in the primary care setting. Other people with disabilities can be assessed and apply for assistance towards the provision of a recommended piece of equipment. Assessments are carried out by a range of multidisciplinary staff; for example, assessments for mobility aids would generally be carried out by an occupational therapist and/or a physiotherapist.

Provision of any equipment is based on detailed information received and with the assistance of prioritisation guidelines to ensure that people with the most urgent assessed needs have their needs met first, within a set monthly budget. All professionals providing community-based services, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and public health nurses, will be aware of the prioritisation criteria and will provide any necessary and urgent items of equipment following appropriate assessment as soon as possible. However, the Health Service as a whole has to operate within the parameters of funding available to it, and this is a major challenge for all stakeholders, including the HSE, voluntary service providers, services users and their families.

In relation to mobility equipment, occupational therapists carry out assessments and review applications in light of the individual’s current and ongoing needs, with the priority being to provide functional mobility for indoor and short-distance outdoor use. Therefore the equipment recommended by the clinician will be appropriate to the needs of the individual. The provision of wheelchairs is not a demand-led service, and requests are prioritised according to need and according to resources. A client is prioritised according to clinical need. If the referral is for essential equipment, then it is deemed a P1 (high priority). If resources are available, equipment is sanctioned based on highest assessed prioritisation. Wheelchairs are issued based on client need and functional abilities rather than any specific waiting time.

The HSE has no plans at present to develop a register of wheelchair users. However, the National Physical and Sensory Disability Database (NPSDD), established in 2002, holds information to assist the Department of Health and the HSE in providing appropriate services designed to meet the changing needs of people with a physical or sensory disability. The NPSDD contains over 24,000 records of individuals using or requiring physical or sensory disability services. Information is collected on a voluntary basis and records the number of assisted mobility aids, including wheelchairs, used by people who are registered on the database.