Funding for assessment of needs

ADDITIONAL funding of over €2 million is to be made available to reduce the wait for children’s Assessment of Needs in the county.

The Department of Health announced that over €7.8 million will be allocated to cut the backlog of children waiting to have their needs assessed, despite a legal requirement that the initial assessment is carried out within six months.

The two HSE community health organisations which cover County Wicklow will have access to funding of over €2 million under the new initiative which was announced by Minister for Health and Wicklow TD Stephen Donnelly and the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability Anne Rabbitte.

An allocation of €1.7 million has been made to CHO7 which includes West Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin West, Dublin South City and Dublin South West. According to HSE figures released by Minister for State Rabbitte, there are 1,056 children on the waiting list for assessment of needs in this area.

CH06 which includes areas of South East Dublin and the rest of County Wicklow has received €363,000 in funding. Figures here show a waiting list of 257 children.

Minister Donnelly said ‘I have often highlighted the issue of unacceptable waiting times for children requiring assessments of need in the past. I have met many parents and guardians who have had to wait far too long for these services. This is something that I am extremely passionate about and I was determined to solve this problem as soon as possible. I hope that this package of measures will improve the lives of children with disabilities in Ireland. This is one of a number of actions that the government is taking as part of our commitment to universal healthcare. Ireland’s healthcare system must be world-class for all, from young to old.’

‘I hope this announcement gives hope to families waiting for an assessment for their child’, said Minister Rabbitte. ‘Once we clear these backlogs, I expect HSE to meet its statutory obligations for all new referrals.’