Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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551. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will instruct the HSE to sanction additional nursing support in order that children with complex medical issues can attend school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23124/23]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The HSE supports special schools that cater for particular types of disability and special needs. These special schools are mainly attached to non-statutory service providers funded by the HSE, many of whom will have support staff, including nursing, in place. These services have been developed by individual service providers and reflect the individual experience and expertise of providers and local services.

In recent years, there have been developments in interventions for young children with complex conditions which have led to greater numbers of children with disabilities participating in school, however, this requires ongoing high levels of support to enable this participation. Some of these children attend special needs schools and this has led to additional requirements in the area of medical and clinical support services in this area.

In May 2017, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) submitted a report to the Department of Education and Skills of the progress it was making on its Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme.

A Working Group to examine existing arrangements for the provision of Nursing supports for children with complex medical needs, and to develop a common policy around nursing supports was subsequently established was established and held its first meeting in July 2017.

The working Group found that there was no clear responsibility for the delivery of health services in educational establishments or for the delivery of educational services in health establishments. The deficit was clearly demonstrated in the Special School area.

In the absence of national policy governing the provision of nursing staff in special needs schools, and in recognition of the emerging need and inconsistency in approach to provision, the Cross Sectoral Group, which had officials from the two Government Departments of Health and Education, as well as the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and the HSE, was tasked with reviewing existing arrangements in Special Schools and other settings for the provision of Nursing Supports to support children with complex medical needs.

The Working Group made several recommendations including that:

“consideration is given to additional funding being made available to the HSE to enable the provision of some nursing support, including the possible extension of a home care package where one is in place, in cases where a child with complex medical needs is attending a mainstream or other school which is not ordinarily funded for nursing support. Additionally, where exceptional circumstances are present which may exclude a child from attending a special school where nursing provision exists, provision of nursing support should be made available to support the child in their current setting. Such provision should only be considered on an exceptional basis.”

As recommend by the Working group referenced above, a pilot is currently in train under DES in collaboration with HSE Primary Care. The National Nursing Programme Pilot for Children with Complex Healthcare Needs is a nationwide pilot scheme to be run in partnership between HSE and NCSE. It will run for the 2022/23 school year.

The pilot is to be evaluated and the outcome will inform the provision of nursing support for students with complex healthcare needs into the future.