Roscommon-Galway Fianna Fáil Senator, Eugene Murphy, has welcomed the allocation of a €7.8 million package to reduce the backlog of assessment of needs and to support the establishment of Children’s Disability Network Teams.
This measure is targeted to support children and families who are currently experiencing long waiting times for an assessment of need and it will also ensure that they are able to access follow up services quicker.
“The assessment of needs is required for children with conditions such as autism in order to determine what supports they require.
“Families with children who require an assessment have been forced to wait an extended period of time due to the backlog, which will now be tackled under the new Sláintecare initiative. A total of €159,000 has been allocated to the CHO2 area which covers Roscommon and Galway and where there are 100 overdue assessments.
The package will provide funding for clinicians to work overtime and at weekends, to fill posts currently vacant due to maternity leave, to procure private assessments and to recruit additional clinical staff where necessary,” Senator Murphy stated.
The €7.8m package will support a multifaceted approach, including clinicians working overtime at weekends or evenings, filling posts currently vacant due to maternity leave, procurement of private assessments and recruitment of additional clinical staff for fixed term contracts where necessary.
Removing the backlog will ensure that new structures for service delivery envisaged under the Network Team model of care will be a robust, effective and sustainable model of service for children with disabilities in the future.
