Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

92. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to address the issue of waiting times for assessments of needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32283/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

This Government absolutely recognises that waiting times for assessment of need are far too long and have a significant impact on delivering on the needs of children and their families.

Both this Department and the HSE have been working intensively to progress measures to reduce and waiting times.

I really want to emphasise to parents that while children have a right to apply for an Assessment of Need (AON), they do not need one in order to access health services, including those provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.

Demand for AONs has increased significantly in recent years, a reflection of both the increase in population and of families exploring all options for accessing services for their child.

The HSE advise that, in 2024, they received 10,690 AON applications, which is more than double the 4,700 applications received in 2020. Most recent data from the HSE show that at the end of March over 15,000 Assessment of Needs overdue for completion.

To address this, the HSE are working to increase its capacity to deliver AONs.

Over the past year, there has been an improvement in the number of assessments of need completed, an increase of 30% in 2024 compared to 2023. Recent HSE data shows that this trend is continuing this year with a 65% increase in completed assessments in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period last year. This has been achieved by a number of measures, including the AON waiting list initiative agreed by Government which targets those families waiting longest for AONs with funding provided for the procurement of assessments from approved private providers.

We cannot rely on the private sector indefinitely so we must ensure that the public system can meet the clearly growing demand. As part of efforts to support the efficient delivery of assessment of need within the public system, regional assessment hubs are being rolled-out by the HSE, aligned with the six new HSE regions.

At the direction of Government, officials are currently reviewing potential legislative changes in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General to support the effectiveness and efficiency of the Assessment of Need process.

My Department has been working with HSE senior management and experienced clinicians to identify those changes, with the intention of bringing forward legislation in the latter half of this year.

I would emphasise that this will not include any changes to the statutory right of any individual to access an AON.

This is an issue the Government is taking extremely seriously and is working to put in place an effective and efficient assessment of need system.