Child health waiting lists will have serious impacts warns Tyrone

SPIRALLIING waiting times for children in the North seeking appointments with medical professionals for a range of physical and psychological conditions has been described as “alarming and unacceptable” by a Tyrone parent who knows first hand the impact of delays.

Last week, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma revealed the scale of the problem, which shows 611 children have been waiting more than four years for a hospital appointment, while 53 per-cent of the 10,000 youngsters waiting for an appointment have been on a list for more than a year.

According to the review, carried out by the Commissioner there was an annual increase of 28 per-cent (7,460 children) increase in the number of children waiting for an appointment with one of the community child health services, bringing the number of youngsters on lists to more than 34,000.

Children waiting for speech and language therapy increased by 87 per-cent; Waiting times for autism assessment – was up 33 per-cent, from 5,155 to 6,845 (1690 more); Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services waiting times were up 52 per-cent from 1,460 to 2,223 (763 more).

diagnosis

Aideen Mockford from Dungannon is the mother of a child with autism, who has seen the detrimental impact which a delay in diagnosis can have.

“It’s a been a few years now since my boy got his diagnosis but clearly the situation is getting worse, which is really alarming for both the children and parents,” she said.

“Before his diagnosis, my son was in a mainstream class of 30 children. He has Autistic Spectrum Disorder along with Sensory Processing Disorder, the two often go hand in hand. With this comes crippling anxiety and fear. Words, noise and smells can cause genuine terror.

“So you can only imagine the impact such a busy, noisy environment would have. It’s like shaking a bottle of coke then taking the lid off. When he came home all his frustrations, fear and sensory overload would mean a meltdown ensued.

“With a diagnosis my son received occupational therapy as well as speech therapy, which were hugely beneficial. That’s why it is so important to get a diagnosis, so that the vital measures and help are put in place.”

help and advice

Aideen is the chair of the National Autistic Society NI Dungannon & District Branch which is based in Coalisland. She said the charity is there to help those families still waiting on a diagnosis.

“At the minute, we are registering those children who are on the road to a diagnosis. We cannot sit back and let these families wait for help. We are here, as a group of parents to offer our help where we can and direct parents to relevant information.”

She added, “We need our politicians to get around the table and start making some decisions that actually help people, and do something about these waiting times, which are having such a big impact on families.”

breaking point

Presenting the figures, the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Koulla Yiasouma was scathing of the ongoing political vacuum at Stormont.

“On the eve of yet another possible election being called it must be acknowledged that on top of the Pandemic, which inevitably increased the number of people on waiting lists, the lack of an Assembly or Executive has contributed to an already struggling health and social care system. This has pushed it to breaking point and many would argue that it is now broken,” she said.