Three-year wait for adult Speech & Language Therapy

The wait for an adult with an intellectual disability to see a speech and language therapist in Cavan-Monaghan is now more than three years and growing by the day, The Anglo-Celt can reveal.

The HSE is set to launch a “bespoke campaign” to hire someone for a key post, which has remained vacant since 2020.

Cavan and Monaghan is without a dedicated speech and language therapist for adults going on three years, despite repeated and failed attempts to fill the position via a national panel.

From questions put to the HSE, the Celt has learned that, in October 2021, approval was granted for one Senior Speech and Language Therapist post, for adults with an intellectual disability or complex learning needs in Cavan and Monaghan.

The HSE confirmed that the waiting time at present for an adult to see a speech and language therapist is 163 weeks. There are currently 20 clients on that waiting list.

“A national panel was established for Senior Speech and Language Therapist posts in 2022. This post was expressed to the panel on 11/07/2022 and again on 22/7/2022.”

Confirmation was received from Human Resources less than a week later, on July 27, 2022, there had been “no expression of interest” in the Cavan-Monaghan post.

The spokesperson for the HSE further explained: “On the 17/08/2022, a request was made to re-grade this position as a Clinical Specialist post and approval for same was granted on 07/11/2022.”

They add that a “bespoke campaign is required” to now advertise the post, which the HSE say “will be progressed as soon as possible”.

“Upon successful recruitment of a Clinical Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, the HSE are confident that this waiting list could be eliminated relatively quickly.”