Anger at Ros baby health check delay

Delays in vital development checks for babies before the age of 10 months in Roscommon have been dubbed a "disgrace" this week by a local mother involved in Cuidiu, the Irish Childbirth Trust, and Monksland Mother and Toddler Group. Coordinator in the Athlone area Catriona Manser was speaking in the wake of a shocking new report which showed that less than one in ten children in Roscommon has been given the test in time due to a severe shortage of public health staff. Nearly four in ten babies are failing to get the crucial child development checks on time in other parts of the country. "It's a disgrace that babies don't seem to be a priority for our Government and the HSE," the mother-of-three told the Westmeath Independent. "It's the first real critical test at the nine and ten month mark and for young or new mothers, it's an expert look at their child." She said she was shocked that only 10% are reaching the milestone in Roscommon within the ten-month period. Children should have this screening before the age of 10 months and the target set by the health service is to see 90% of babies within that timeframe. The holdups are causing major concern among parents because these checks are essential to pick up any signs of problems in areas such as hearing, eyesight or other disabilities, allowing treatment as early as possible. Ms Manser said it's seemed very unfair and worrying that access to the development check depends on where you live in the country, and if you happen to live in Roscommon you have to wait much longer due to a shortage in public health staff. She expressed concern that a test backlog at the ten month mark will also lead to further delays down the line when toddlers are supposed to receive another vital check at the age of 18 months. "If there is a delay in diagnosis then they will be further behind. The earlier something is detected there is much better chance of success," Caitriona added. The report shows in Donegal, just 61% of babies are being seen at under 10 months and the figure is just 64% in Wexford. In Dublin North, more than a quarter of babies are losing out but in the Cork North Lee area staff are successfully managing to assess 95% of babies. Around 85% of babies in Kerry are examined within the timeframe while in Limerick the success rate is eight in ten. Meanwhile, Caroline Muldoon, who is associated with Kiltoom Parent and Toddler Group said she was aware of a number of mothers in the past who were worried that they had not been called for their appointments Cllr Tony Ward, who sits on the HSE West Regional Health Forum called the situation "scandalous". Criticising the ongoing moratorium on recruitment, the former Mayor said it should not apply to frontline nursing staff, who provide a vital service while, at the same time, there seems to no shortages of managers in the system. "It's ok if everything is 100% with the child, but if there is something wrong and it is not picked up on at an early stage it can affect them later or could have been prevented," Cllr Ward outlined, adding that it is yet proof that the HSE is not working in the current form. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for HSE West said the roll out of the H1N1 (swine flu vaccination programme), which required a redeployment of staff, and the public sector moratorium on staff recruitment had meant that the number of patients waiting for development checks has increased in Roscommon. However, the HSE is making every effort to ensure that those children waiting for development checks are seen at the earliest possible date.