Rabbitte storms out of HSE meeting over school therapists
In Rationale As Failure Anger Clear For To Picture: Rabbitte She Viewed Anne Present Minister Appointing Any Walked In Out Disabilities Over Moya Therapists Nolan A Delays What
Disabilities Minister Anne Rabbitte stormed out of a meeting with senior HSE officials after relations broke down over a lack of delivery on therapists to schools.
It comes as parents of children attending a special school Carrigaline, Co Cork, vented frustration that promised therapists have yet to start working at the school.
Carrigaline is one of four schools, including another in Rochestown in Cork, due to be allocated assistant therapists this week.
However, none of the 14 specialists have been appointed.
A further 50 assistant therapists are due to be rolled out across other schools before Christmas.
Ms Rabbitte yesterday met with senior HSE officials to discuss the lack of progress in appointing assistant speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, phycologists, and other specialists required to support pupils.
However, less than an hour into the meeting, which had been scheduled to run for more than two hours, Ms Rabbitte walked out in anger over what she viewed as a failure to present any clear rationale for the delays.
Before abruptly leaving the meeting, she ordered officials to come up with a concrete and immediate plan and said the matter was so serious she would not be meeting with HSE heads again unless chief executive Bernard Gloster also attended.
The appointment of assistant therapists to schools had already been deemed a "comprise" by Ms Rabbitte who wants senior clinicians to be reinstated to support children.
Therapists were removed from schools to allow for the rollout of the new Progressing Disability Services (PDS) plan.
PDS was meant to reorganise how children and their families access and receive clinical disability services, and provide a fairer pathway to clinical supports, through the establishment of new children’s disability network teams in communities across the country.
However, last year Ms Rabbitte said the new system was "simply not delivering for children" and ordered the HSE to redeploy therapists in schools until waiting lists for occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech and language assessment and therapy are addressed.