I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Primary care psychology plays a central role in providing care and treatment to both children and adults in the community and, particularly, in offering the opportunity for early intervention for children and young people. The increased pressure and demand on primary care services, and on primary care psychology for children and young people in particular, are related to the increase in referrals and the increasing complexity of presentations requiring longer intervention times, as well as staff shortages and ongoing recruitment challenges in the community. These factors all contribute to an increase in waiting lists for primary care services, including primary care psychology services across the country, including in Cork and Kerry. To address long waiting times at a national level, the Department of Health is working with the HSE on a focused programmatic approach to primary care waiting list management to put in place considerable standardised infrastructure to support systematic responses to primary care waiting lists. This will facilitate a greater understanding of the scale and drivers of demand; allow for improved planning, interventions and investment considerations; and support the most efficient use of capacity. As well as looking at the long-term changes that are needed, the programme of work will also examine what can be done to address those waiting over a year on access to primary care therapies. This approach involves three main workstreams that aim to improve access to primary care therapy services by analysing activity and maximising capacity, developing national measures to reduce long wait times and creating a consistent management protocol for referrals and waiting lists to these services. At a regional level, HSE South West has highlighted significant work that is currently under way to enhance access to primary care psychology in Kerry. In June 2025, the regional executive officer appointed a regional director of psychology with a specific focus on reviewing psychological services, including workforce planning, reviewing the service provision model and considering other psychological support services that can meet the needs of the population. Progress has also been made in relation to advancing recruitment to fill allocated vacancies in the Kerry primary care psychology service. National primary care funding was allocated to HSE South West mid-2025 to initiate waiting list initiatives to increase access to psychological intervention for children and young people on existing primary care waiting lists. In terms of increasing capacity, there has also been a significant increase in 2025 for doctoral training places for psychology - clinical and educational programmes - in the region, with a total of 18 trainees funded by HSE South West who commenced in September 2025. This is part of a sustained trainee programme that now has 45 trainees in the system over a three-year cycle. All graduates will be offered a permanent post in the region on completion of training, capitalising on the investment and thereby improving staff to population ratios and reducing waiting lists. HSE South West has also highlighted several key initiatives currently in process and aimed at improving access to services. The establishment of the new single point of access working group is supporting a more efficient triage of children to ensure that they access the most suitable service in a timely manner and is reducing waiting list duplication across primary care psychology, CAMHS and CDNTs. The HSE South West child psychology service waiting list improvement initiative working group has also just been established under the regional director of psychology. Its three main priorities regarding aiming to improve access to psychological services for children in the region are workforce planning and development, waiting list and capacity solutions, referral pathways and demand management and clinical service model innovation. I will bring the points raised by the Deputy to the attention of the Minister and the Department.
Sentiment score: 0.58
The Minister recognises fully the frustration of people in the local area with long waiting times for certain services and realises that much more needs to be done to fill local vacancies, address waiting lists and ensure consistent, equitable and timely access to primary care services. Since 2021, the primary care psychology waiting list initiative, which targets removals from the waiting list of those under the age of 18 waiting longer than 52 weeks to access services, has been operational. To date, the initiative has successfully removed 12,000 clients from primary care psychology waiting lists nationally. Funding for the continuation of this initiative will be allocated as part of the Estimates 2026 process. Outside this, a joint Department-HSE programmatic approach to primary care waiting lists is also under way to develop short-term and long-term solutions to long waiting lists for primary care services. The Minister wishes to again assure the Deputy that this Government remains committed to the further development of primary care and community healthcare services as part of the programme for Government. HSE South West is also working to reducing the waiting lists for primary care psychology as evidenced by the initiatives to which I previously referred, including advanced recruitment efforts, building capacity for the future and the introduction of bespoke waiting list initiatives targeted at children and young people who need to avail of this very important service. I will bring the matter raised by the Deputy in terms of the upcoming budget to the attention of the Minister and the Department.
Sentiment score: 0.52
I thank Deputy Kelly. I know of his keen and genuine interest in this particular subject. I will deal with the questions he actually raises. I have an answer there for him. I am going straight to the capital programme. As part of this capital programme, older persons' services in north Tipperary are being enhanced by the opening of a new state-of-the-art 50-bed community nursing unit in Nenagh to replace St. Conlon’s Community Nursing Unit. As the Deputy said, there was a €24 million investment. The new Nenagh community nursing unit will provide a high-quality living environment which will be in line with all regulatory requirements. On the issues the Deputy particularly raises, as he is aware the HSE has vacant possession now of the new nursing home. It has applied to HIQA for registration as a designated facility for older people. HIQA is currently assessing the application. It would be expected that will be processed quickly. As part of the process, which I want to work with, the first element is that the residents who are currently in St. Conlon's will be moved to the new nursing home. They will be facilitated in this regard once HIQA has done the inspection and obviously issued the licence to operate as a nursing home. These people will then be able to pick the rooms they wish to pick. They will have first choice from what is there, which is only appropriate. The staff who are currently in St. Conlon's will move over with the residents to the new nursing home. I am advised by the HSE that it has the requisite staff and will have the requisite staff to scale up to the full complement of 50 residents in the nursing home. The process at the moment is the HSE has taken vacant possession of the new nursing home, it has applied to HIQA in the past week for a licence and HIQA is currently assessing the application. Once HIQA grants the application - I hope that will be relatively soon but obviously the Deputy will appreciate it is independent in the way it assesses applications - then the residents currently in St. Conlon's will move to the nursing home along with the staff. Then the HSE will proceed to scale up to the 50 beds. It advises me it has the requisite staff to ensure that can happen. I hope that will happen relatively quickly. As Deputy Kelly mentioned, to alleviate the significant pressures at UHL the decision was taken to use the new Nenagh community nursing home building on an interim basis as a step-down sub-acute and rehabilitation facility for UHL, run by a private provider with expertise in such services. The Deputy will appreciate one of the reasons was to dovetail that with the opening of the new 96-bed unit. That will happen relatively quickly, so the intention is the new 50-bed nursing home will be up and running relatively soon after HIQA has granted the registration. The first step will be to get the existing residents in St. Conlon's over and then to scale it up to 50 beds. The HSE has the requisite staff in place to do that. The HSE is advising me of that.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I appreciate the frustration of people, including the residents of St. Conlon's and the people in the area. I have gone through this intensively and there is a process. There is an application before HIQA. It takes an average of about ten working days to assess an application. The application has gone in within the past week. I cannot pre-empt the outcome of the registration by HIQA, but it is normally a ten-day working cycle, and once that is complete, the residents who are in St. Conlon's will be brought to the new nursing home to pick out the rooms they wish. I regard them as a priority.
Sentiment score: 0.06
I am not in any way questioning the Deputy, but on the process, they have been waiting a long time. Once they are moved over along with the staff, the HSE has assured me locally, and I have made very up-to-date inquiries, that it has the resources staff-wise to be able to move and scale up to the 50-bed unit very quickly. Looking at the cycle of it, we are in the month of September and certainly it will not happen before the end of September. I think that is reasonable to say. We are looking, I hope, at it happening in the month of October. However, once again, I have to work within the parameters that are set down. The key element at the moment is for HIQA to give registration. Once the registration is granted, everything else will move along at pace. We will then have the new 50-bed community nursing home unit in Nenagh up and running. I expect that will happen.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I am saying it will not happen in September. I think that is reasonable. While I cannot give a firm date, we would be looking at the period from October on.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am responding on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As the Deputy will be aware, Okur-Chung is an ultra-rare neurodevelopmental syndrome with an estimated 160 individuals living with this syndrome globally. Okur-Chung was first identified in 2016 and, as such there is still much we do not know about this syndrome. However, ongoing international research seeks to provide a better understanding of Okur-Chung syndrome and explore possible treatment options. The recently published national rare disease strategy acknowledges the important role research plays in developing a better understanding of the mechanisms of disease which can enable early diagnosis, earlier treatment and overall better health outcomes for people. Greater knowledge of rare diseases is important for the development of novel therapeutics, treatment strategies and facilitation of more responsive and appropriate services for people living with a rare disease, their families and circle of support. Research is also important for supporting the recruitment, retention and motivation of healthcare personnel who will drive the development of quality services. Substantial advancements have been made to embed research within Ireland’s healthcare system, and the Department of Health has ensured that research is a key aspect of strategies and frameworks, such as the national rare disease strategy. In Ireland, several organisations have their own specific roles in contributing towards the advancement of rare diseases research. Organisations such as Health Research Charities Ireland and Taighde Éireann - Research Ireland, have a central role to play in funding and supporting research initiatives related to rare diseases through the provision of grant schemes, co-funding of research projects and programmes and partnerships that prioritise rare diseases. Research in Ireland is further supported by the involvement of patient advocacy groups such as the Irish Platform for Patients Organisations, Science and Industry, IPPOSI, and Rare Diseases Ireland, RDI, which, through ensuring that research is aligned with patient priorities, advocate and provide a voice for the needs of people with rare diseases and ensure their perspectives are included in research agendas. Recognising that improved engagement, collaboration and partnership both nationally and internationally with industry, Government, representative organisations, healthcare professionals and academic partners will help to drive strong research and innovation for all aspects of living with rare diseases, the new rare disease strategy recommends that a national rare disease research group be established to provide a structured, co-ordinated, multi-actor and strategic approach to ensuring more high-quality rare diseases research in Ireland. The strategy also recommends that opportunities for rare disease-specific funded research calls, targeting both indigenous research and greater participation in international consortia, be increased, as well as ensuring that healthcare professionals are supported and encouraged to pursue research in rare diseases and provided with the dedicated time to do so. By streamlining collaboration and establishing stronger relationships between stakeholders through the development of a clear and co-ordinated approach, research efforts can be better integrated into the health system and have greater impact on patient outcomes.
Sentiment score: 0.53
I acknowledge the story the Deputy tells about Elizabeth. Is it her son Leo?
Sentiment score: 0.00
What age is Leo?
Sentiment score: 0.00
It is called Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome, OCNDS. Is that the norm?
Sentiment score: 0.00
I appreciate how difficult it is for Elizabeth, Leo and his family. Once again, I thank the Deputy for providing the opportunity to discuss this important matter. As previously stated, it is hoped that through the implementation of the recently launched national rare disease strategy, we can increase rare disease research opportunity in Ireland. Knowing that meaningful research is being undertaken offers hope for the future as well as possibly leading to treatment options. By building on the work already undertaken through the rare disease clinical trial network, the rare diseases research and innovation catalyst award and through participation in the European Rare Disease Research Alliance, we can foster a cohesive research environment that responds to the needs of people living with rare diseases and clinicians. Improved engagement, collaboration and partnership nationally and internationally will help to drive strong research innovation for all aspects associated with living with rare diseases. The established national rare disease research group has outlined that a new rare disease strategy will be an important step forward in providing a structured, co-ordinated, multi-actor and strategic approach to rare diseases research in Ireland. I will bring the case of Elizabeth, and more particularly that of her son, Leo, to the attention of the Minister. I will put that in the context of the upcoming budget as well.
Sentiment score: 0.50