THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE Officer of the HSE has mandated that no child wait more than three weeks for approval of funding for aids and appliances.

The aids are for people with a clinical need for devices than can support them in their daily living.

In a memo to colleagues on Monday, CEO Bernard Gloster outlined the new approach, which dictates that no child will wait “more than a maximum of three weeks for approval of funding for appliances from the date the relevant office receives the prescription/request from the attending Therapist or Team”.

He also stipulated that no child appliance list should be “merged with or influenced by” adult lists.

This process applies to first time and replacement appliances as there is ongoing need through age of the child and appliance deterioration.

“The only delay children should experience is manufacturer timeline from order to delivery and for bespoke items,” Gloster said.

Aids and Appliances are prescribed for individual service users by healthcare professionals, such as doctors, public health nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. 

Examples of aids include manual handling tools, hoists, communication cards, laptops, walking sticks and compression garments.

There are thousands of different products and the criteria for accessing aids and appliances vary, but they can be affected by demand.

Other than clinical need, criteria can be based on General Medical Service eligibility, compassionate grounds, Long Term Illness (LTI) or priority listing.