Sunshine Hospital is struggling to cope with high demand for pre-school children needing help with development issues.
The hospital provides health assessments for children experiencing
difficulties in more than one area of their development, provided by
two therapists from a combination of disciplines.
In State Parliament last week, Derrimut Labor MP Telmo Languiller
said a letter from Western Health stated there was no capacity to offer
intervention prior to the 2014 school year.
“Sunshine Hospital’s increased demand has meant families in the
west are required to either seek private assessments at great expense or
seek an assessment in another region,” Mr Languiller said.
“The multidisciplinary assessments program . . . is designed to
provide a pathway to crucial early intervention to children with
disabilities, to maximise educational opportunities and assist families
to access services.
“Many families in the west are battlers who can least afford to
access private assessment and programs if their children suffer
disabilities.’’
Western Health executive director of allied health and service planning Arlene Wake said the hospital was dealing with the problem.
“There continues to be a high demand for multidisciplinary
assessments,” Dr Wake said. “We are implementing a range of strategies
to enable us to assist as many children as possible.
“By the end of 2013, we expect to have completed 100 autism assessments, 125 multidisciplinary allied health assessments and provided specific allied health treatment for an additional 100 children.’’
Dr Wake said the service provided care and support for 359 children in the first seven months of this year.
“Four-year-old children who are likely to complete a second year
of kindergarten and have been referred to the service since March this
year will be assessed in 2014, prior to starting school,” she said.
