Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

799. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department receives regular reports on the number of assessments of need for children that are carried out, the number of therapeutic supports that are delivered to children who have been assessed and the average waiting time; and if he is satisfied that the system is making best use of available professional resource given the repeated complaints from parents. [52051/21]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The HSE submits monthly reports to the Department having regard to the progress of eliminating an historical backlog which had built up in relation to overdue Assessments of Need.

As the Deputy will be aware, in August 2020 the HSE secured Sláintecare funding of €7.8m to address the issue of overdue Assessments of Need (AON).

This funding was provided on a once off and strictly time bound basis to eliminate all AONs overdue at 30th June 2020. While the number of overdue Assessment of Need stood at 6,558 in June 2020, through a combination of different measures, by the end of September 2021 approximately 6,040 children have had their assessment completed, thus reducing the backlog to 520 cases. An overall reduction of 92% to date.

6 CHOs have now cleared their backlog, one of which has exceeded its target, while another 2 CHOs have completion rates of 98%.

The HSE also submits a management report on a quarterly basis to the Department, in relation to the overall numbers of children currently having an Assessment of Need.

I acknowledge that there has been an inconsistent approach to how assessments were historically carried out, as well as inequity in terms of time afforded to ‘assessment’ versus ‘support or treatment’ interventions with children and their families.

To address waiting times for an assessment, the HSE implemented a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Assessment of Need process from January 2020 to ensure that children with disabilities and their families access appropriate assessment and intervention as quickly as possible and that the approach to Assessment of Need is consistent across all areas.

A Preliminary Team Assessment, usually undertaken by a Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) will identify initial interventions and any further assessments that may be required. While not required by the Act, diagnostic assessments will continue to be provided, as appropriate, and these will be captured in the child’s Service Statement as part of the Assessment of Need process.

These improvements, particularly the new Preliminary Team Assessment, will facilitate children with disabilities to access assessment much quicker. This is borne out by the latest data I have from the HSE which indicates that over 90% of children who have had a Preliminary Team Assessment are referred for intervention.

All of these improvements are intended to alleviate the current situation where children in some parts of the country may have to wait a number of years before they can access an assessment and I am satisfied that the system is making best use of available professional resource.