“Incompetent” government has allowed assessment of needs system to collapse, says Crowe

Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has described the government as “incompetent” for failing to tackle the growing crisis for children trying to obtain an Assessment of Need in the CHO7 health area which includes the constituency of Dublin South West.

There are now over eight thousand children waiting on an AON in CHO7 and more than fifteen hundred having been waiting more than two years.

Teachta Crowe said:

“At the start of October, there were 8,205 children waiting on an Assessment of Need in the CHO7 area. This is a truly shocking figure that shows just how far the government have allowed control of the situation to slip from their grasp.

“Worse still, there are 1,573 of those children who are waiting more than two years to be seen. This would include children who need urgent therapies and interventions and are just abandoned to a waiting list that never gets shorter.

“There are of course problems still with accessing therapies, but you can’t even get on those waiting lists without first getting your Assessment of Need.

“This government is a disaster for ordinary workers and families. Thousands of children in just one area are spending their childhoods waiting and waiting for assessments so they can access speech and language or occupational therapies. They can be faced with barriers to accessing education or socialising with their peers because this government has made such a mess of children’s disability services.”