Latest news with #AssessmentofNeed
Irish Examiner
02-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Some health services would collapse if 'insourcing' ended overnight, HSE head says
Some health services could collapse if funding for top-up care known as 'insourcing' is removed too suddenly, the Oireachtas Health Committee has heard. The discussion followed publication on Tuesday of a HSE report showing almost €100m was spent in just 27 months on this funding. It is given by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to hospitals for reducing waiting lists. However questions have arisen over how this is used, including at Children's Health Ireland. HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said he now expects this funding will be eased out by June 30 next year. He told the committee he asked about the impact of ceasing these payments overnight. 'The system came back to me and said 'if we were to do that in the way you've asked right now, these are the following services that will collapse today,'' he said. He expanded on how enmeshed the top-up funding is in the HSE in response to Senator Teresa Costello. 'There's only one way you can change the culture of dependency on insourcing and that's to end it, that's it, there's no other way to do it,' he said. "You have to end it sensibly and over time.' Staff, he stressed, only did what they were asked as until recently there were few questions asked. He acknowledged this is a failure of governance. Answering questions from Fianna Fáil TD Padraig O'Sullivan, he accepted extra clinics funded by the NTPF offer attractive pay rates to staff involved. 'In the level of the scale of it, I think we took our eye off the ball,' the CEO said. It is very difficult to ask a nurse or anyone else to do ordinary overtime on a Saturday when the possibility now exists that in a different construct, they can get paid much more significantly. The report shows the HSE is giving notice they will not renew or enter in contracts with external providers of insourcing care. Any agreements between now and June need to be approved item by item by hospital CEOs. The report warns of potential impacts including conflicts of interest, non-compliance with HSE procurement rules and risk of abuse or fraud among other issues. Out of 950 companies involved, the bulk is done by 50 larger companies, HSE CFO Stephen Mulvany, told Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane. Some 534 work in hospitals, other clinics mentioned included offering Assessment of Need in the disability sector. 'Perverse incentives' Mr Cullinane asked about 'perverse incentives' and links between the HSE and these external companies. Analysis of directors in 148 companies found 83 staff with links to the HSE or health bodies funded by the HSE under Section 38 arrangements, including some serving staff, Mr Gloster explained. NTPF CEO Fiona Brady defended its oversight processes. She said she is not aware of problems identified by Beaumont Hospital being replicated in other hospitals. A HSE internal audit team has been examining that issue since April, she confirmed to Labour health spokeswoman Marie Sherlock. Mr Gloster also said in the case of University Hospital Limerick (UHL), insourcing funding has helped patients. He told Senator Maria Byrne: 'The weighted average (waiting) time in UHL is below the national average, which is a really significant achievement - because it is the time people are waiting. And you can say ok there was in-sourcing involved in that but at least there was a return.' Regional executive director for the HSE Midwest, Sandra Broderick, said they have made funding requests to hire more specialist consultants to address these waiting lists internally.
Irish Examiner
11-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Disability activist Cara Darmody claims law being broken as children 'left to rot' on waiting lists
A schoolgirl who has held protests outside the Dáil for better autism services has claimed the Government is "blatantly" breaking the law and "permanently damaging children". Cara Darmody, who recently held a 50-hour protest at the gates of Leinster House as part of her years-old campaign, told TDs children are being 'left to rot' on HSE waiting lists to get assessed. She said that an Assessment of Need (AoN) must be carried out within six months. Addressing an Oireachtas committee in the Dáil, she said in 93% of cases, children are assessed outside the six-month timeframe. Under the Disability Act 2005, the HSE is legally obliged to have a child's special needs assessed within six months but it has repeatedly failed to do this over the past 20 years. Among those affected by special needs resourcing issues are her two severely autistic brothers, Neil — a 12-year-old who was only formally diagnosed as autistic in December 2016 despite being referred by a public health nurse when he was aged around 16 months to local HSE child services as a child of concern — and John. Cara told members of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters: 'I cannot do anything to change the permanent damage caused to Neil and John. 'But I can advocate to stop damage being done to autistic children in the future. Let's cut straight to the chase — I'm here today to call out the blatant Assessments of Needs law-breaking by the Taoiseach and the Government. 'Three different Taoisigh have made promises to me to fix this issue, and all have dramatically failed.' Cara, from Tipperary, raised this among other issues when she met Simon Harris when he was taoiseach last year on the first day of protest vigils she held outside the Dáil and the Taoiseach's Office last summer. The teenager met Micheál Martin in 2022 when he was taoiseach, and also lobbied him to put more resources into special needs assessments and therapies. Cara, who got 97% in her Junior Cert maths in 2022 to help raise awareness and €82,000 in funding for better services for autism locally and nationally, also lobbied Leo Varadkar, when he was taoiseach. Her father Mark told the committee that despite raising the issues with Mr Martin again recently and trying to get him to declare a national emergency on the lack of special needs assessments and therapies, he said: 'He doesn't buy into this emergency. He said it was just words.' He added: 'We are sleepwalking into a disaster." Read More Family of Clare boy killed by van challenge decision to bring no charges over death
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Number of children awaiting speech, language therapy rises almost 200%
The number of children waiting over one year for initial speech and language therapy has risen by almost 200% in the last three years. Figures compiled by the Labour party also show a 170% increase in those waiting over a year for psychology support in the same period. Labour undertook comparative analysis based on data released through a Parliamentary Question to its Spokesperson on Health Marie Sherlock and on HSE workforce reporting. It shows that the increase in the number of staff providing therapeutic support has been a fraction of the almost two-fold jump in demand for therapies and services. Deputy Sherlock has described the figures as stark and "reflective of a broken system that is desperately failing children". Considering the need for timely intervention, Ms Sherlock has called on the Government and the HSE to "seriously rethink" the Progressing Disability Services Programme and the Roadmap for Service Improvement 2023-2026. The Labour Deputy said a fundamental change was required about "how and where services are provided". The Labour health spokesperson said new types of support roles needed to be developed in psychology, speech and language, and occupational therapy specialties to support staff, therapists, and services to provide adequate and timely services. While the "race" to recruit more therapists and ensure their timely registration must continue according to the Labour TD, she said it was "highly unlikely" that Children Disability Network Teams (CDNT) would fill the 529.77 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) funded posts left unfilled from 2024. Opposition Parties will table a Private Members Motion during Sinn Fein's Private Members time tonight, calling for emergency action on Assessment of Need waiting lists. An Assessment of Need (AON) identifies whether a person has a disability, any health and education needs arising from that disability, as well as what services are required to meet those needs. Progress was being made in reducing the waiting list from 6,058 in the third quarter of 2020, down to 1,718 in the first quarter of 2022. However, in March 2022, the High Court found that the HSE's preliminary assessment approach did not meet the requirements of the Disability Act. The judgement, according to the HSE, resulted in a growth in overdue assessments of need and it acknowledged at the time, that outsourcing private assessments was "challenging" A year ago, the previous Government announced funding of almost €7 million in an initiative to tackle the Assessment of Need waiting list, on top of core funding of €5 m for the procurement of private assessments. The additional funding was to enable the HSE to procure up to 2,500 additional Assessments of need over up to November last year. Assessments of need must be completed within six months of the date that an application is received. However, just 7% of assessments were carried out within the required period. In a statement last week, the Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald said children were scandalously left waiting for services and support. She said it was not good enough that 15,296 children were overdue their assessment of need. It is a rise from almost 8,900 children who were classified as overdue for an assessment by the end of 2023. Tonight's Private Members Motion coincides with 1 The Social Democrats have described the current situation as "outrageous". It said the Disability Act is being "flouted as if it were an optional extra – instead of the law of the land".
Irish Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Opposition table joint motion as over 15K children overdue Assessment of Needs
Over 15,000 children are awaiting an Assessment of Need required to access services and therapies. The five main opposition parties will table a motion in the Dáil next week to put pressure on the Government to provide these services. An Assessment of Need (AON) identifies whether a child has a disability, the nature and extent of the disability, and any health and education needs that may arise. Under law, once the HSE receives an application in writing, they must start the assessment within three months and complete it within an additional three months. Details from the HSE given to Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane confirmed that the number of AONs overdue for completion at the end of March 2025 stood at 15,296. This represents an increase of 8% on the end 2024 figure of 14,221. Some 1,412 AONs were completed in the first quarter of 2025, a 65% increase on the same period in 2024 of 849. The HSE stated that the percentage of these AONs that show 'No Disability' has increased from 15.8% in 2010 to 26% in Q1 2025. They also confirmed to Deputy Kerrane that 3,131 new applications were received in the first three months of the year, a 20% increase on the figure for the same period last year of 2,603. The HSE told Ms Kerrane that a March 2022 High Court case stated that the HSE's AON checks were not meeting the standard required under the Disabilities Act, and it is now required to deliver diagnostic assessments where necessary. Tipperary teenager and disabilities campaigner Cara Darmody will begin a 50-hour protest outside the Dáil next week. In an unusual move, Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and Independent Ireland have tabled a joint motion which will be debated in the Dáil next Tuesday to coincide with the protest. The motion states that children are 'legally entitled to an assessment of their health and education needs' within six months and that 'the law is being broken with respect to the 15,296 children whose assessment of need is overdue'. It calls on the Government to 'comply with its legal obligations' and to make funding available for 'Cara's Fund' to clear the backlog. The opposition has also called on the Government to 'set a specific target date by which the Government aims to comply with the legal entitlement to an Assessment of Need under the Disability Act 2005'. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that children have been 'scandalously left waiting for services and support' Deputy Kerrane, meanwhile, stated that there has been a 'frightening increase in the waiting list for Assessment of Needs from 500 in the summer of 2021 to over 15,000 now'. She added: 'Worryingly, the HSE anticipates that this will only get worse and expects that by the end of 2025, there could be as many as 24,796 assessments of need due for completion. 'It is clear that the government still does not have a plan to stop the state from breaking the law and to ensure that children get their assessment of needs within six months.'
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Extraordinary' Irish teen ‘feels compelled' to hold 50-hour Dail sleep-out protest over autism assessments wait times
THE Dail heard how an 'extraordinary' teenage disability campaigner is set to stage a sleep-out protest at Leinster House next week. Cara Darmody, 14, from Tipperary 3 Cara Darmody is set to stage a sleep-out protest at Leinster House next week Credit: Collect 3 The second-year student has already met with Leo Varadkar, Michael Martin and Simon Harris as part of her ongoing efforts Credit: Collect through journalist The second-year student has already met with And last year she secured €10 million in funding pledged by Simon Harris towards private assessments for families who have been waiting for Cara is now calling on the Government to declare the Assessment of Need (AON) issue a national crisis due to the number of children 'being permanently damaged by inaction'. An AON - as outlined in the Disability Act 2005 - is an assessment carried out by the Read more in News The parents or guardians of a young person can apply in writing for an assessment and must receive a letter from the HSE within 14 days confirming the application has been received and a start date for the assessment. These assessments should start within three months and be completed within a further three months, giving a six month overall timeframe. However, the Dail has heard that 90 per cent of assessments were being completed outside these legal requirements outlined in the Disability Act. More than 14,000 children are waiting for an assessment. Most read in Irish News As part of her new action Cara will sleep in a tent outside Leinster House from 10am on Tuesday May 20 until 12pm on Thursday May 22, in a 50-hour protest. The schoolgirl, who has two brothers with severe autism, intends to TEEN'S PLIGHT The teenager's plight was raised in Leinster House today by a number of politicians. People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy told the Dail: 'Over 14000 children are waiting for an assessment of needs. 'The Government is breaking its own laws as 90 per cent of the assessment of needs are not carried out within the time frame. 'We have an incredible situation where a 14-year-old - Cara Darmody - feels compelled to sleep outside for 50 hours to fight for the rights of her brothers. 'She really shouldn't have to and we should have time on the Dail schedule next week to have a joint motion to say that the Government and the State are going to stop breaking its legal obligation and provide the funding and resources to ensure that every child gets the assessment of needs in the time that they need to have it." Responding, Minister of State Mary Butler said she would engage with the Opposition and speaking times for next week. Earlier, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon described Cara in the Dail as an 'extraordinary young girl', while Sinn Fein's Padraig Mac Lochlainn said he'd work with the opposition to draft a motion to go before the Dail "to deal with this issue once and for all". 3 The Tipperary teen has been campaigning for the Government to take significant action to shorten wait times for autism assessments
