AOTI Pre-Budget Submission

AOTI is calling on Government to allocate an additional €12,219,141 in Budget 2022 for the creation of 187 Senior Occupational Therapy posts

In our pre-budget submission for Budget 2022, AOTI has highlighted the existing gaps in the provision of Occupational Therapy in children’s disability services, as described in the recently published Disability Capacity Review. This report also projects a significant growth in demand for these services by 2032.

The current service gaps identified in the Disability Capacity Review result in the extremely long waiting lists children and their families are facing to access vital disability supports including Occupational Therapy. The need for increased investment to address current gaps in therapy services is clear.

When this is set against the projected growth in demand for paediatric Occupational Therapy services, it is predictable that waiting lists and delays in early intervention will worsen without a significant increase in the number of occupational therapists working in children’s disability network teams and primary care paediatric Occupational Therapy services.

Based on this, AOTI is calling for additional HSE funding in Budget 2022 for the creation of:

• 91 WTE senior OT posts for children’s disability network teams (CDNTs) requiring additional funding of €5,946,213
• 96 WTE senior OT posts for primary care paediatric services requiring additional funding of €6,272,928

In total, AOTI is calling on the Government to allocate an additional spend of €12,219,141 in Budget 2022 for the creation of 187 Senior Occupational Therapy posts. This investment will make significant progress in addressing both current unmet needs and future projected growth in demand for children’s disability services.

Without sustained annual investment in children’s disability services between 2022 and 2032, the Progressing Disability Services model will not work effectively, waiting lists will continue to grow and Ireland will not fulfil its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

You can read the full AOTI Pre-Budget Submission here