Children’s therapy services criticised

THE director of the Clare Crusaders Clinic in Ennis yesterday claimed that vital services from the HSE are not there for children requiring speech and language therapy.

Ann Norton was responding to new figures from Healthstat showing that speech and language waiting lists for treatment after assessment in 18 of the 32 of the HSE community areas have an unsatisfactory service requiring attention.

In the Healthstat’s ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ marking system, it shows the speech and language therapy services in Carlow, Clare, Cork North, Cork North Lee, Cork South Lee, Dublin South City, Dublin South West, Dublin West, Galway, Laois/Offaly, Limerick, Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary North, Tipperary South, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow all scored ‘red’