SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has slammed the Department of Health for their continued failure to adequately resource autism services within the Western Health and Social Care Trust, describing the current state of provision as “totally unacceptable and morally indefensible.”
He has written to the Minister of Health demanding action to address spiralling waiting lists and critical staffing shortages.
The MLA for Foyle said: “The figures coming from the Western Trust are nothing short of shocking. In the past year alone, nearly 1,000 children were referred for autism assessments, yet the service can only accommodate around 450 annually.
“Over 2,600 children are now stuck on the waiting list, a number that continues to rise year on year. Services are overwhelmed and barely staying afloat, with demand constantly outstripping capacity.
“If this trajectory, the backlog will balloon further. In real terms, even if demand holds steady at 950 referrals a year, the Trust will see an additional 500 children added to the waiting list every year.
“Over the next five years, this would mean an extra 2,500 children, bringing the total waiting list to well over 5,000. This isn’t just a looming crisis, it’s in crisis and spiralling into catastrophe.
“Children are being left to wait years for diagnosis often missing the critical early window for intervention.
“Families are under enormous emotional strain. Schools are struggling to support undiagnosed children whose needs are going unmet.
“Adult services are in crisis too, with only enough staff to carry out 60 assessments a year despite demand being three times that.
“This isn’t a new issue. The Trust has been sounding the alarm for years, submitting business cases, engaging with Commissioners and making clear the scale of need.
“And still, the Department’s response is the same; that there’s no funding available. That is simply not good enough.
“I acknowledge the pressures across the health service, but autism services in the Western Trust have been allowed to fall deeper into crisis.
“Staff are being pushed to breaking point. Autistic individuals and their families are being left in limbo without the support they need to thrive and in many cases survive.
“I’ve written to the Health Minister urging immediate intervention and investment in these services.”
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