Rabbitte vows to cut delay that disabled people face acquiring necessary aids and appliances

'Disability is a rights issue, and it should sit inside the Equality department,' said Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, whose ministry is soon to move from Health to Equality. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Long delays for equipment such as wheelchairs are to be tackled as a priority when the Department of Disabilities moves from the Department of Health to the Department of Equality, minister of State for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte has said.

Ms Rabitte said that making the process for procuring such equipment such as wheelchairs and bath supports for both adults and children faster and easier is a major priority for her.

Currently, some children are waiting for up to two years for a wheelchair, while they could get the same device from the same supplier within weeks if they paid for it privately.

Ms Rabbitte plans to remove the annual €500m budget for disability aids and appliances — such as wheelchairs and bath supports — from the primary care model and establish a new budget for the equipment when her ministry moves from the Department of Health to the Department of Equality.

She said people are waiting far too long and grappling with far too much bureaucracy to access important equipment that can hugely improve their quality of life.

Currently, if an occupational therapist (OT) recommends that a child needs a new wheelchair, that referral has to go through unnecessary layers of bureaucracy — that report must be signed off on and must then go for cost-benefit analysis by a third person.

“I have plans to change that,” said Ms Rabbitte.

“If an OT says a child needs a wheelchair, that should go straight to dispatch.

“That would be one of our priorities when we move department, creating our own budget for aids and appliances within the Department of Equality.”

Minister: 'Disability is a rights issue'

The move of the disabilities portfolio from the Department of Health to the Department of Equality is an important change, first called for by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, she said.

'[B]y denying that child her wheelchair, you’re denying her integration, inclusion, everything else.' Anne Rabbite says moving her ministry from Health to Equality is a key step to improve the State's services for people with disabilities. Stock picture

No date for the move has yet been set, but she believes it is to be raised at the next Cabinet meeting.

“I’d love to have been there six months ago,” said Ms Rabbitte. “Disability is a rights issue, and it should sit inside the Equality department.

A child has a right to her wheelchair. The way I see it is that’s her right to move around, to be an individual.

"And by denying that child her wheelchair, you’re denying her integration, inclusion, everything else.

“There are risks attached to it [the departmental move]. I’m sure the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform would have concerns about trying to remove the money from Health and bringing it over to Equality — that’s complex. But in the past 10 months, there has been a pressurised space to make this happen.”

Securing sufficient funding for children with disabilities in this year’s budget is particularly vital in a year when a Cabinet reshuffle is likely, said Ms Rabbitte.

The upcoming budget can cement her hopes for improving disability services for the months and years ahead — even if a Cabinet reshuffle removes her from her current position when Leo Varadkar becomes Taoiseach again in December.

“Anything you get in the budget goes into the base,” she said. “And that’s what you’re trying to do, create a solid foundation.”