‘Serious concern’ over wait times for therapies in Cavan Monaghan
"Ongoing delays" for therapies for children with additional needs in Cavan Monaghan were brought up in the Dáil recently by Deputy Brendan Smith, who expressed his "serious concern" on the issue.
The local TD shared that a number of "young parents" have attended his clinics recently who are waiting for an assessment of need and therapies.
"One parent spoke to me about her son who got a Speech and Language Therapy appointment in June 2021 and has not got one since. That child got an Occupational Therapy appointment in 2022 and 2025," he outlined.
Another child in the same family was assessed and diagnosed 18 months ago and has yet to receive any follow-up therapies.
Deputy Smith believes the introduction of development therapy assistance "can help speed up the number of people delivering therapies and delivering services".
Speaking to the Celt afterwards, he explained this would mean people with a certain level of qualification work under the guidance of qualified therapists.
"I know some of the colleges of Further Education offer an initial course that enables students to go on to a university or institute of technology to pursue courses across different disciplines, including occupational therapy and others," he stated in the Dáil, adding that "the area of therapy assistance is an area we should pursue".
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked for time to discuss this suggestion with her officials.
"We are developing a primary care therapy waiting list management protocol, the purpose of which is to ensure consistency and transparency during referral, waiting list management and discharge across all primary care in the different regions to improve overall patient experience," she said.
In the meantime, the Minister said she has asked the CEO of the HSE to put measures in place to address waiting times for physiotherpay, OT, and SLT to reduce wait times to "less than" 10 months.
Deputy Smith further probed: "Have the universities and colleges made enough places available to ensure we have the professionals to deliver healthcare and meet the ongoing and increasing demand for different healthcare services across our country? I understand there is still a shortfall in the numbers graduating compared with those who are retiring."
Three hundred and twenty new training places have been made available in colleges; while, since 2020, forty therapists have been recruited in Cavan and Monaghan, bringing the total to 117 in the area according to the Health Minister.