Funding from the Department of Health and Children

There are a number of different ways in which the Department of Health and Children funds assistive technology.

• Funding for assistive technology is currently provided by the Health Services Executive (HSE) through the Aids and Appliances scheme. Through this, medical and surgical aids and appliances (eg wheelchairs, certain communication aids etc) are usually free of charge to Medical Card holders provided they are recommended by a health professional eg occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, based on an assessment of need. For more information on Medical Cards, see Medical Cards in Ireland.

• People with any of the conditions recognised under the Long Term Illness Scheme are entitled to obtain, irrespective of income, necessary drugs/medicines and/or appliances under the scheme. People can apply to their local HSE office for admission to the scheme. If eligible, a Long Term Illness Book is issued which lists the drugs and medicines for the treatment of that condition. Medical and surgical appliances may be supplied on the basis of either a prescription issued by the persons General Practitioner, or more usually, a requisition issued by the Public Health Nurse or Senior Occupational Therapist.  For more information, see Long Term Illness Scheme.

• Non-Medical Card holders may get aids and appliances free if they are part of any hospital treatment which they receive. If not, they may get some assistance from the HSE which may contribute to the cost, or the device may be lent to them if it is only required for short-term use.

• Recent years have seen the disbursement of annual, once-off, Aids and Appliances funding which has funded a wide range of both low and high-tech assistive technologies including communication devices, computer access software, power wheelchairs and environmental control systems for the home. To date, the funding has been dispersed by local HSE services to local community care clinics and through voluntary agencies. These organisations collate lists of individuals requiring aids and appliances, based on an assessment of need, and supply them to the HSE who then disperse monies accordingly. All equipment ordering and purchasing is undertaken by the local community care clinic or voluntary agency directly.

For further information on Aids and Appliances and funding, contact the community care occupational therapist in your local HSE office. To find the contact details of your local health centre, see Health Centres in All Counties.