CRYING SHAME OF HSE
Parents reduced to tears over kids’ wait for speech therapy
PARENTS are being “driven to tears” because children must wait over a year for vital speech and therapy appointments.
Sinn Fein TD Louise O’reilly said the HSE figures reveal “shameful delays.”
She has also discovered there are similar delays in the area of occupational therapy for children and the backlogs are having a severe impact on the children’s development.
Ms O’reilly added: “I’ve spoken to parents who are close to tears because they are forced to look on while their children cannot reach their potential because of these shameful delays.
“These waiting lists are not only destroying children’s present, but they are possibly destroying their futures too.” Some of the worst delays for occupational therapy are in Mayo where there were 138 under-fives waiting more than a year for basic treatment.
In Cavan/monaghan 523 five to 17 year olds are waiting, while in North Lee in Cork 679 kids over five are facing delays for care.
The evidence indicates significant waiting in accessing Speech and Language Therapy and Occupational Therapy can have long -lasting affects.
The replies to Ms O’reilly’s Parliamentary Questions show there are widespread delays and inconsistencies in the delivery of speech and language therapy too.
Detailed breakdowns were not available by age and while there is a postcode lottery, the situation is not good in any area, but is very bad in areas such as Mayo, North Dublin, Donegal, and Galway.
Ms O’reilly said: “Children suffer most from these waits and the fallout from a lack of access to the services they are entitled to means they can sometimes find it difficult to participate in school fully. “They may not be able to participate in sport and other activities as other children do, and they can struggle to maintain friendships, amongst other problems.
“The window of opportunity when it comes to SLT and indeed OT for children is short and significant delays can negatively impact their development and cause problems into adulthood.”
THE shocking delays for vital speech and therapy appointments are another example of the dire state of our health service.
It urgently needs to be revamped because a large part of the crumbling system is evidently not fit for purpose.
The cervical cancer scandal and the hundreds left languishing on trolleys on a daily basis are quite rightly a source of deep shame.
And it is disgusting that the future of our children is being destroyed when the National Children’s Hospital overrun has seen the project soar to €1.7billion.
Sinn Fein TD Louise O’reilly revealed the worst areas for occupational therapy for children –and it makes for disturbing reading.
It’s outrageous the most vulnerable people here are being forgotten about – with 138 under-fives waiting more than a year for occupational therapy treatment in Mayo.
Hundreds are being left on the fringes as well in Cavan/monaghan and Cork. It shouldn’t matter whether a child is born in the west of Ireland or Dublin if they require basic treatment for a fundamental issue such as speech.
If a child falls behind in social development and academic learning they are at a disadvantage and may never reach their potential.
Delays can effect them in terms of forming relationships and their future prospects – the Government needs to address this backlog.