Minister criticises HSE for 'indefensible' delays in assessing children with disabilities
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Disabilities minister Anne Rabbitte has hit out at the HSE for an "indefensible" delay in assessment of needs for children with disabilities who are now waiting an average of 17 months.
It has emerged that children have effectively been left in limbo as their files have not been transferred to newly configured assessment groups, established to overhaul and speed up the assessment of children.
In a strongly worded email, Ms Rabbitte accused the HSE of “not giving a full and true reflection of what is actually happening on the ground” and said "if the HSE is trying to deplete the minister's confidence in their ability to deliver on their commitments they are doing a very good job".
Just 14% of the 1,270 applications for assessment received by the HSE between June and September were actioned and referred on to the relevant services. However, some areas including Cork North, Cork North Lee, and Dublin South-West failed to process a single application within the three-month timeline.
The average time parents are awaiting initial assessment of their children now stands at over 17 months, despite a legal requirement for it to be completed within six months.
The assessment identifies a child's health needs so they can access appropriate services to aid their development.
The letter, sent to officials in the Department of Health by Ms Rabbitte's office, stated that during a meeting with parents in Galway, "it emerged that while the teams have reconfigured" they had not received any files whatsoever.
"Needless to say, this left the minister quite shocked," stated the letter.
Ms Rabbitte has now asked for a report from each of the nine community healthcare organisations (CHOs) that the HSE is broken up into, detailing how many of the reconfigured assessment groups have actually received files for children.
It is understood the minister has also sought to hold regular individual meetings with the CHOs to monitor progress; however, this has been met with resistance.
Speaking to the , Ms Rabbitte said: "The teams have reconfigured but they haven't handed over the files, so we have teams but we don't have files for children to match them.
"I am not a spokesperson for the HSE, I will not be an apologist for the HSE, and sometimes when things are wrong you can't defend the indefensible."
Historically, children's disability services have been provided by a range of statutory and non-statutory service providers that delivered services based on a child's diagnosis or age and the type and level of service provided varied widely across the country.
Under the new system, every child with complex needs arising from his or her disability will have access to one of 91 children's disability network teams (CDNTs).
While some areas, such as Mayo, are still in the process of setting up these teams, Ms Rabbitte last week told the Seanad that 14 teams in the Cork-Kerry area were established "long before the situation we find ourselves in now".
"The challenges faced in some parts of the country have resulted in delays for families in accessing much-needed therapies for their children," she said. "I express my sincere apologies to any family experiencing such delays."
A spokesperson for the HSE said: "As part of the safe transition of children to their new teams, summary reports on individual children are transferred until electronic or hard copy files are transferred over.
"This enables CDNTs to prioritise both children in service and new children who can now access services based on complex needs for the first time."
The spokesperson added that during the transition to the new CDNTs, services will continue to be provided to children based on "robust risk assessments" and "prioritised needs".