Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane, has said Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have totally failed children with disabilities. 

Under law, children are entitled to receive an assessment of needs within 6 months. However, new figures released by the HSE to Newstalk have revealed there are now almost 13,000 children waiting longer than 6 months for an assessment.

The figure has increased by nearly 1,600 within the last three months alone.

David Cullinane said:

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have totally failed children with disabilities. Under law, children are entitled to have an assessment of their needs within 6 months, but there are now almost 13,000 children left waiting for longer than this. 

“This figure has continued to spiral in recent months, with more than 500 children each month adding to this scandalous figure. Behind these numbers are children and their families being denied essential disability services and supports. Every day that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil remain in power, the worse things get for children with disabilities.

“Sinn Féin have a plan to stand up for children with disabilities and ensure all children can get the assessment they need quickly. Our plan sets out how we would fully staff Children’s Disability Network Teams to end the delays.

“We would deliver a comprehensive workforce plan to fully staff Children’s Disability Network Teams and roll out a jobs guarantee for graduates to ensure the staff are there to meet demand and deliver these assessments. We would double training places for health and social care places and introduce a bursary for students on clinical placements to increase recruitment and improve retention. 

“On a short term basis, we would also fund community/voluntary sector and private services to deliver assessments for the children who have been waiting the longest so that they can get support quickly.

“At this election, voters face a clear choice. It’s a choice between more of the same failures from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil or a vote for change with Sinn Féin. The only way to get a change of government is to vote for Sinn Féin.”