'Crisis' reached due to 'staggering waiting lists' faced by Laois children and their families
Major vacancies in teams which give crucial help to children with Autism in Laois and other midland counties has created a crisis facing families due to the 'staggering' waiting lists that have developed as a result.
That's according to Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley who has published details of figures he has received which he says show there is a huge waiting list for Child Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) in the Midlands.
"The latest set of figures I received show the staggering amount of children waiting for these services and it has now reached crisis point.
“In the HSE region CHO 8 which takes in the four Midland counties and Louth/Meath, there are a total of 2,747 children on waiting lists to access the CDNT teams and the services they provide. What is most concerning is 1,611 of these children are deemed to have complex needs and will require a greater level of services and support.
"Parents who have children that may be on the Autism spectrum or have other conditions that need attention are being left waiting, due to the absence or lack of services provided," he said.
The TD said recruitment is the problem.
“Long waiting lists in Laois / Offaly are a direct result of staff shortages in disciplines such as Speech and Language, Occupational services, Physiotherapy, Psychology etc. According to the latest figures available to us for the Region, in Psychology alone there is a 41% shortfall in staff with 36% vacancy in Occupational Therapy. Overall, in the CHO 8 region there is a staff vacancy rate of 30%," he said.
Dep Stanley broke down the figures further.
"The staff vacancy levels in the three disability teams in Laois/ Offaly are at a shocking high level. The latest figures we have available to us show that the Portlaoise based CDNT, which covers most of Laois, has a 42% staff vacancy. The Portarlington / Edenderry area, which covers North Laois and North Offaly has a 35% shortfall in staff, while the Tullamore based team has a 17% shortfall," he said.
He outlined what action needs to be taken.
"This can only be addressed by proper workforce planning which needs to involve third level colleges with appropriate numbers of students being offered and taking up relevant courses.’ Government must also ensure that graduates are being offered an adequate number of permanent positions within the HSE to fill vacant posts.
“In our 2023 Budget proposals, Sinn Féin provided for extra funding to create extra places at third level colleges. We also made provision for extra training for Therapists and Psychologists etc, to fill these badly needed positions across the Child Disability Network Teams," he said.
He concluded by saying that it is also vital for the HSE to put in place proper planning with graduates being offered permanent contracts within the public health system.