'Nightmare scenario' as Laois families getting appointments three years after referrals

The HSE has just begun offering speech and language therapy appointments to families of young children in Laois and other Midlands counties whose referrals were made to the service in 2022, a TD has claimed.

So claims Independent TD Carol Nolan who says Midlands Louth Meath Community Health Organisation has confirmed to her that ongoing staff vacancies are the cause for the delay.

Dep Nolan, who is in line to be part of the next Government, described the news as confirmation of “an effective collapse in urgent therapeutic interventions and supports that is creating nightmare scenarios for thousands of families right across the midlands.”

The HSE had previously confirmed to the Independent TD that CHO Area 8, which encompasses Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, had the highest number of people on its waiting lists for Speech and Language Therapy.

The HSE informed the TD in May of last year that that the total number of patients awaiting Initial Assessment for CHO Area 8 was at that point 3,962. This contrasted most strikingly with CHO Area 1 (Donegal, Sligo/Leitrim/West Cavan, Cavan/Monaghan) which had a total of 852 people on its list.

“Something has gone dreadfully wrong with the current system of speech and language therapy services, and the latest data provided to me only confirms that,” said Deputy Nolan.

“Despite repeated calls for initiatives to reduce waiting times for children and families, including sourcing therapy assessments and interventions externally via private service providers where necessary, at least for the short to medium term, nothing appears to have been done.”

“It is simply astounding to me that if the current rate of appointment offers continues then children referred to services this year will not be seen until about 2028; providing we do not witness even greater levels of service deterioration.”

“I understand how traumatic this is for families and children, but I also understand that the situation is also placing intolerable levels of stress on therapists who are trying their level best to manage a tsunami of referrals with very little staff capacity to respond.”

“Tackling this crisis has to be one of the key priorities of the next Government,” concluded Deputy Nolan.

The former Laois Offaly TD who was a teacher in Laois is part of the regional group of independent deputies in negotiations with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to form a new Government.