Children’s disability teams 'dangerously understaffed'

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Children’s disability teams are “dangerously understaffed” with figures showing the crisis is getting worse across Munster and Dublin.

In Cork, one children’s disability network team is operating with 10 fewer staff than it is funded for. 

None of the seven teams across the city are staffed to their funded numbers.

A team in Clonmel in Tipperary has 125 children on waiting lists but since January last year has hired just one extra therapist.

One Dublin team has 28 children waiting for an individual family service plan since 2016.

In Waterford, the Dungarvan team alone has 499 children allocated to its care.

In Limerick, one team is down seven people with 905 children on the county’s waiting lists for a team. 

This is despite seeing 1,440 children or parents in January alone.

A HSE-commissioned review of children’s disability network teams is currently ongoing and should be completed by the end of the year, but for now, the shortages mean although thousands of children receive help every week from children’s disability networks, many struggle.

Rainbow Club Cork chief executive Karen O’Mahony described Cork as a “red spot” for staffing vacancies.

“I would be hopeful that this Government in the next few years — working with the HSE, the minister for disability — could really push campaigns for recruitment further and make the careers appealing.

“There are families in Rainbow Club that absolutely can’t get services but we have other families that can access and are getting services. I think it depends on where they are.”

The Cork City data was provided to the Labour Party and shared with local councillor Ciara O’Connor.

“Families are being left in limbo, while staff within the children’s disability network teams face immense pressure to provide services with dangerously understaffed teams,” said Ms O’Connor.

“There are significant shortages across most children’s disability network teams in Cork.”

She welcomed a recent pay deal for staff who provide HSE services but do not work directly for the State, but she called for further “urgent action” to boost recruitment.

HSE head of disability services for the South West Angela O’Neill pointed to the “very competitive global market for healthcare talent” as a factor.