'Slow the floodgates': OT waitlist so long they've had to stop accepting new clients

Rachel Dewhurst is the lead OT at Canobolas Kids Health in Central West NSW, and came on board at the beginning of 2023.

Having only offered physiotherapy prior to her hire, requests for the service were "quite steady" over the first 12 months.

But after word spread, so did the demand and now they have a waitlist of around 70 children. Sixty of those referrals came between January and April 2024.

"As you get kids with more significant needs coming on board then you're obviously seeing them more long term which is the way it should be, but that pushes back the waitlist," Ms Dewhurst said.

"You really have to think about how you manage that to make sure people are being seen in some capacity."

As a result of this influx, they were forced to stop accepting any more OT referrals until they were able to put a dent in that waitlist.

"It's not closed forever," Ms Dewhurst stressed.

"It's just closed to slow the floodgates a little."

There is currently little to no waitlist for their physio services.

A lack of OT graduates gravitating to paediatrics is seen as one reason why there are such big waiting lists around Orange and regional NSW.

As a result, organisations are having to come up with strategies to provide help to families stuck on waiting lists.

For Ms Dewhurst, that included starting up a monthly parent education group.

And while this provides some temporary relief, Canobolas Kids Health director and physiotherapist Eden Bradford knows a more permanent solution is needed.

"We see a lot of families out there who are desperate for help but there's not therapy access for them," she said, adding a solution couldn't just come from dumping caseloads on recent graduates for risk they suffer burnout and leave the profession altogether.

"You need to be careful that you're not just throwing those 70 kids at them. You need to take care of their career as well."

As well as Orange, Canobolas Kids Health also services Dubbo, Cowra and Bathurst with an OT or physio going to those areas one or two days a week.

That's one of the reasons why they were so excited to see that kids health charity Royal Far West had appealed to the state government for funding to develop two new paediatric clinics in Dubbo and Wagga Wagga.

"The demand in Dubbo is quite high," Ms Dewhurst said.

"It would be great if they could get that funding because It's going to be a big issue for a long time.

"How you solve the waitlist is something we talk about on a weekly basis."

It is a cause ACM and this publication has thrown its weight behind. with many families from around regional NSW sharing their stories, including Moree mum Katherine McLane for whom accessing specialist care involved a year-long wait and a drive to the Gold Coast to see a paediatrician.

"I know the first five years of a child's life are crucial, yet we spent most of those years trying to have our child properly diagnosed," Ms McLane said.

Her plight to access a paediatrician is typical of many Moree families, living in a town of around 7000 people with no paediatrician.

Seeking support for her son Carter, Orange mum Sam Whitemen was told they would be waiting at least two years.

Mrs Whiteman decided to go down the private healthcare route in Sydney, a decision that cost her family thousands.

An ex-primary school principal who cares for four children in Dubbo, who wanted to remain anonymous, said their family had experienced lengthy waits with paediatricians for the past nine years.

They had been forced to lessen their work hours to manage their children's appointments.

"I've been an advocate for these kids ... but there would be other kids out there who don't have someone with enough knowledge to be an advocate for their child or their children.

"And then we wonder why they end up in the juvenile justice system, because for parents, it's exhausting."