Cork research says access to speech therapy for children is now 'urgent'

A University College Cork (UCC) researcher has said that a study shows that access to speech and language therapy needs to be addressed “as a matter of urgency”, because 5,628 Cork children are currently awaiting assessment or treatment.

The study — which was led by Ciara O’Toole, of UCC, and Noreen O’Leary, from RCSI’s University of Medicine and Health Sciences — reveals that speech and language therapists working in children’s disability services are unable to deliver the direct interventions that children urgently need.

A total of 28 speech therapists from across Ireland took part in the study, via an online questionnaire and focus group interviews, to discuss their experiences working in the industry.

Speech and language therapists (SLT) reported spending just 25% of their time delivering direct care to children, with most participants expressing dissatisfaction with this limited level of intervention. The majority of their time was consumed by administration, meetings, and indirect intervention.

Those surveyed identified multiple barriers to delivering direct care, including challenging work environments, unmanageable caseloads, inadequate clinical supervision, and staffing shortages, as well as non-standardised prioritisation systems for cases.

Dr O’Leary said: “These issues impact staff retention which in turn impact access to and continuity of care for children and families in Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs).

“We hope service providers will consider the proposed solutions to improve conditions for SLTs and outcomes for those they support.”

Dr O’Toole added: “One of the most striking findings is the limited time available to SLTs for intervention, less than a quarter of their overall working time.

“We know how important access to appropriate intervention is for children attending CDNTs and that families are also deeply frustrated by lack of intervention. This issue needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

The findings come amid growing public concern about long waiting lists and inconsistent access to disability services.

Earlier this month, The Echo revealed that 5,628 Cork children are waiting for either an SLT assessment, or therapy, with 2,528 children waiting for assessments or treatment in North Lee, 1,608 in South Lee, 1,161 in North Cork, and 331 in West Cork. The longest wait times are 63 weeks in North Lee, 56 in North Cork, 20 in South Lee and 18 in West Cork.

SLTs interviewed for the study described feeling “heartbroken” and having “a constant feeling of unmet need and unmet admin and upset families”, and warned that experienced clinicians are leaving the public system in favour of private practice.

The researchers concluded that without urgent action to redesign services, invest in staffing, and restore clinical autonomy, children with disabilities will continue to miss out on high-quality, essential support during critical developmental windows.