A Sinn Fein Councillor fears new plans will see children with autism waiting longer to be assessed in Waterford.

The HSE is merging the Autism Spectrum Disorder waiting list for Co Waterford into a regional one that includes Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary and Wexford.

Children in Waterford are currently waiting 12 months to see a psychologist however the wait is five and a half years in Wexford.

Councillor Conor McGuinness believes there will be a massive increase in waiting times locally.

“As things stand children in Waterford are waiting up to 44 months to be seen by an occupation therapist and an average of twelve months for an appointment with a child psychologist. The waiting time for child psychology in Waterford has remained constant since 2014.

“During the same period the average waiting time in Carlow/Kilkenny has dropped from 24 to 6 months, while for South Tipperary it has fallen from 30 to 22 months. The waiting time in Wexford, however, has increased from 45 months in 2014 to 67 months in 2018.

“In response to a question from David Cullinane TD the HSE has confirmed its intention to merge all four waiting lists into one regional waiting list for the South East. The claim is that this will allow them to ensure equality of access across the region however the HSE concede that the changeover with lead to an initial increase in waiting times. There are plans to recruit an additional 15 child psychologists however there is no concrete timeline for this and it’s clear that the intention is to go ahead with the regional waiting list plan before the additional staff required are in position.”

He says the HSE is in the midst of a recruitment and retention crisis

“Without the staff to do the work it is inevitable that waiting times will increase. There is simply not the capacity at present in terms of staff and resources for such a reassignment. We all know about the chronic recruitment and retention problems with the HSE. It could take years to fill the additional 15 posts, if they manage to fill them at all.”

Councillor McGuinness says they’re putting the cart before the horse

“”It is hard not to conclude that what we are seeing here is a form of asset-stripping – one where counties that are coming close to meeting their targets will be forced to shore up other counties because the HSE is not in a position to undertake the type of investment in staff that is needed to deliver the type of service that all citizens in the South East deserve.

“The merging of waiting lists must be allowed go ahead until the necessary personnel are in place.”