Longford children being left on ‘long waiting list’ for ‘essential’ health services

Children in County Longford are being left on a “long waiting list” for “essential” health services, the Dáil has heard. 

Longford-Westmeath Fine Gael TD Micheál Carrigy raised the issue during a recent ‘Questions on Policy or Legislation’ session. 

Deputy Carrigy said: “A significant number of children in Longford are on the waiting list in primary care for occupational therapy, OT. 

“The senior OT post has been vacant since January 2025. Despite all the necessary paperwork having been submitted to the integrated healthcare area, IHA, manager who is responsible for approvals, a recent staff grade position has been approved.”

He went on to ask when this post might be filled, so that children in the county can get the support they need. 

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“The complexity of needs of children on the primary care list requires experienced clinicians to support staff grades. 

“When will we be in a position to fill this role, which is needed? As I say, there has been a 12-month delay in the recruitment for this essential post, which is there to address what is a substantial, long waiting list and, indeed, long waiting times for families.”

In response to Deputy Carrigy, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill thanked her party colleague for raising what she described as “an important issue”. 

Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “I cannot speak about the individual position because I have only just become aware of it but I will find out for the Deputy. 

“More broadly, it is not acceptable to have vacant positions. We have vacancies in the health service and we need them to be filled. We need that for the supports that children in particular need.”

She went on to outline the work she has done, in conjunction with the HSE, to reduce waiting lists for such services.

“However, I would point to the fact that I asked the CEO of the HSE to put specific measures in place to address OT, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy waiting lists and reduce them to less than ten months.

“We started that initiative in quarter 4 of 2025 and I am pleased to say that the primary care therapies lists declined by approximately 15,000 between September 2025 and November 2025. 

“This is an important reduction but that can only be expedited and augmented if we are recruiting for positions such as the one the Deputy described.”

Minister Carroll MacNeill concluded by saying she would follow up on the situation in Longford and find out what is happening. 

Deputy Carrigy’s comments came following a number of Written Parliamentary Questions which he submitted to the Minister.

In one such question, he enquired about the current waiting times for children awaiting an occupational therapy assessment in Longford. 

He also asked for the number of children currently on the waiting list and the measures being taken to reduce waiting times.

In a separate submission, he cited the case of one child in Longford, who has been waiting over a year for an assessment. 

He called on the Minister for Health and the HSE to address the case “as a matter of urgency”. 

On both occasions, Deputy Carrigy received no answers to the issues raised from Minister Carroll MacNeill. 

Her response stated: “As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.”