'Gridlocked' assessment of need system received record number of applications 

Gareth Noble: HSE has been the author of their own misfortune.

The HSE received 6,755 new assessment of need (AON) applications for children last year, the highest number since the legislation began almost 20 years ago.

By the end of 2022, there were still 4,613 applications overdue for completion. On top of that, a High Court ruling last March which found that the HSE's Preliminary Team Assessment (PTA) method of dealing with AON applications was unlawful meant another 4,698 children whose application underwent the PTA process required further diagnostic assessment.