Fianna Fáil’s Anne Rabbitte has blasted the HSE for a “soul destroying” response to a Government colleague over her attempt to help a child with autism.
Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has said she is “beyond embarrassed” about insufficient responses to parents’ requests for supports for autistic children.
She raised the matter at a Joint Committee on Autism on Tuesday with Ms Rabbitte, who is the Minister responsible for disability.
Ms MacNeill said she was informed by the HSE that a child with autism had received their assessment of needs; however, this was not the case and was left embarrassed with an “outrageous” response from the HSE.
She explained: “One case in particular, a young girl, a girl whose initials are ‘AS.’
“I got a letter back from the HSE telling me on February 1, 2022 that ‘AS’ had her assessment of needs completed on May 10, 2021 and was subsequently referred to the HSE school age team on May 20, 2021.
“So I went back to her parents and I said, ‘That's great, isn't it?’
“And they came back to me, they said, you know, just we've read your letter and we're a bit confused.
“She has never been assessed by the HSE, never been assessed.”
Ms MacNeill said she went back to the HSE and they said ‘sorry about that Deputy, that was an error.’
She said the HSE informed her that she would receive a date for the assessment but added “I’m still waiting.”
She explained this was just one case of many on her desk and the response from the HSE showed the “standards” within the service.
She added: “I’m at the point Minister where I don’t even know how to go back to parents anymore, so often I have raised their issue with your office and the HSE and the answers that I get back – no disrespect to you, I know you’re bona fides and I know how hard you’re working on this – but to the HSE, some of them are outrageous.
"Some of them are outrageous."
In response, Minister Rabbitte asked her Government colleague if she could apologise for what had happened but added: “I'm not an apologist for the HSE but as minister with responsibility for disability, it is absolutely soul destroying that sort of response, that somebody doesn't know who's on their system or doesn’t.”
She said there are 743 therapists no longer in the system and the posts remain unfilled.
She said it is the Government’s intention to deliver real and tangible solutions to the challenges and barriers faced by people with autism.
Minister Rabbitte said she has put forward suggestions on how to address issues but she had not seen any suggestions from the HSE yet.
She said: “I am not a clinician… I'm just a mere politician, working with my constituents like yours with yours, trying to find solutions.
“I'm really looking forward to the HSE’s suggestions, who are paid and tasked to find solutions..and to bring delivery in a timely fashion.”
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