Government 'fobbing off' care for children with disabilities to HSE without handling pay issues

Children’s disability network teams are run by agencies such as Enable Ireland but employee salaries are not the same as those of HSE workers doing the same job.

The Government has been accused of fobbing off care for children with disabilities to the HSE without handling pay issues behind chronic staff shortages.

In recent weeks, parents of children with disabilities have gone public over lack of access to vital therapies around the country.

A HSE workforce review of the children’s disability network teams (CDNT) found an average 36% vacancy rate across 93 teams for last year.

Some of the teams are run by agencies such as Enable Ireland, which provides therapy for public patients, but employee salaries are not the same as those of HSE workers doing the same job.

Labour health spokesman Duncan Smith highlighted the pay gaps which almost led to industrial action last year.

“The Government continues to put its head in the sand on its responsibility to CDNT workers and children under their care,” he said.

Fobbing this back and forth to the HSE has run its course. The coalition needs to accept its responsibilities and bring into reality pay equalisation for staff in primary care and CDNT.

Questions put to Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, by the opposition, revealed a lack of focus on the working conditions behind some of the shortages.

The minister said, in response to a parliamentary question, he has met with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on various issues related to the CDNTs.

However, he said: “I have not had a specific meeting with Minister Donnelly where the topic was the pay conditions for CDNT staff.”

Mr Smith said he was surprised by this, adding: “It is simply incredulous that the line minister for disability — after all the industrial tension over pay and the well-publicised dearth of recruitment in the CDNT ecosystem — would not have discussions about pay and conditions.”

Responsibility for the CDNTs was transferred out of the Department of Health into Mr O’Gorman’s department as part of an overall shuffle to separate disability services from health.

However, the HSE continues to provide these services, sometimes in collaboration with voluntary groups.

Mr O’Gorman said the CDNTs were “discussed extensively” with Mr Donnelly and minister of State for disability in his own department, Anne Rabbitte.

He acknowledged some agencies funded under a Section 39 funding plan, which also include CoAction West Cork and Cope Foundation, are the lead on some CDNTs.

“The agreement reached last year has provided an 8% increase of funding specifically for pay increases for staff in these voluntary organisations,” he said.

“This is a significant investment in the sector and the Government is committed to further engagement with unions and employers to ensure sectoral challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff can be further addressed.”

He added: “While Government recognises the essential role provided by the staff in section 39-funded organisations, it is important to recognise that these service providers are not public bodies and terms and conditions of employment are ultimately a matter between the employer and the employee.”