Commitment on Intervention Teams must be honoured

Sean Crowe, TD for Dublin South West has welcomed a commitment by Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte that the frontline medical staff currently being used in the COVID contact tracing system, such as dental technicians, speech and language therapists, occupation therapists and physios, will be relieved by new staff and returned to their original posts by Christmas. Teachta Crowe said that, in a health system with waiting lists as long as ours, we could not afford to have these key professionals outsourced to another department for a day longer than we absolutely had to.
 
Teachta Crowe said: “I have been saying for a long time now that we needed to restaff the contact tracing system with specifically hired people and get our trained clinicians such as dental technicians, speech and language therapists, occupation therapists and physios back to treating our children and other patients in our communities. “I raised this issue again at the Health Committee that I chair and welcome the public announcement made by Minister of State for Disability Anne Rabbitte that these professionals will be back in their posts by Christmas. “I hope that commitment is delivered on as the waiting lists for assessments and supports in the CHO 7 area, which covers my constituency, is not working and has children waiting years for help and intervention.
 
“In a health system that has such astonishingly high numbers on waiting lists, we cannot afford to have many of these professional clinicians seconded to the contact tracing system, vitally necessary work that it is, for a day longer than we absolutely have to. “Intervention teams have to get back up and running. Too many children have lost months of supports with far too many suffering regression as a consequence. Resources and supports to combat COVID are vital but other life changing and lifesaving health supports should have not have to stop or be put on hold.”