HSE South West media release
June 5, 2025
HSE South West has today (Thursday) provided updates on a range of issues relating to the delivery of health and social care services in Cork to local authority members of the Regional Heath Forum.
The Regional Health Forum comprises of representatives from Cork City and County Councils, as well as local authorities from Kerry and the South East within the functional area of each Forum.
Update on Primary Care Centres in Glanmire and Mayfield - raised by Cllr Margaret McDonnell
“The establishment of robust primary care centre infrastructure in specific geographical areas is crucial for providing integrated care. These centres serve as the cornerstone of the healthcare system, facilitating seamless co-ordination among various healthcare services.
By situating primary care centres within the communities they serve, we can ensure that patients have convenient access to comprehensive care, encompassing preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services.
This localised approach not only enhances patient outcomes, as directed in Sláintecare, through timely and effective interventions; but also fosters strong patient-provider relationships, promoting continuity of care. Moreover, well-equipped primary care centres can alleviate the burden on tertiary healthcare facilities by addressing health issues at an early stage, ultimately contributing to a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system.
HSE South West advises that the Glanmire Primary Care Centre planning application was rejected by Cork County Council and the developers have lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
HSE Estates and Capital have confirmed that the Mayfield/Ballyvolane Primary Care Centre has been lodged for planning permission. A request for further information from the developer is currently being compiled; once completed it will be issued to the planning department.”
Children’s Disability Network Teams services - raised by Cllr Ann Bambury
“A Children’s Disability Network Team (CDNT) is a team of health and social care professionals who provide interdisciplinary services for children with complex disability needs within a defined geographic area.
There are 14 CDNTs across the HSE South West, each located within the Community Healthcare Network areas. Each CDNT is managed by one of the Section 38 and 39 Lead Agencies; Brothers of Charity, Horizons (Section 38); CoAction, Enable Ireland and St Joseph’s Foundation (Section 39).
The CDNT service model is based on a partnership between families and team members which focuses on a child’s strengths, capacity and skills. They work in partnership with educators to gain a comprehensive understanding of the needs of the child and their family.
There are three types of evidence-informed support provided for children and families: universal support, targeted support and individual support. As each child is unique, our teams work with them and their families to offer the best supports for their needs.
Across all 14 CDNTs, therapists are employed to provide therapeutic intervention to the children on their caseloads. Over the last 12 months the number of therapists employed across the 14 CDNTs has increased by 18.27 Whole Time Equivalents.
CDNT support children attending both special schools and mainstream schools; 10% of children with complex disability needs are enrolled with special schools; 90% are enrolled with mainstream schools, and some children do not attend school. Children attending special schools may have complex learning needs but not necessarily complex health needs.”
Services for children with special needs - raised by Cllr Danny Collins
“Primary Care (PC) services see children with non-complex needs for Speech and Language Therapy (SLT), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physiotherapy (PT) and Psychology. The waiting times for these services vary, based on referral demand and staffing resources.
New resources were allocated from Enhanced Community Care to PC Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) services in 2020 and 2021, but these were principally directed to adult services in the context of delivering care at home to support hospital avoidance; as well as stated objectives of maintaining people well at home.
In 2021, two Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) and two Occupational Therapy (OT) posts were funded locally for children with non-complex disability needs.
With regards to psychology staffing resources, the last uplift by way in national funding in core staffing was in late 2017 and comprised of seven staff grade psychologists and 16 Assistant Psychology posts. As part of national waitlist initiatives, there has been an activity-based model of funding approved since late 2021. The health region is reimbursed per child seen and discharged from the cohort of children longest waiting. In 2021, one senior and one staff grade psychologist were approved from local funding to address the changing demand in and increased referrals.
Further to the lifting of the recruitment pause in July 2024, the HSE South West is now operating under the Pay and Numbers Strategy 2024. Funding to fill all vacant psychology posts was approved and recruitment is actively progressing.
The HSE South West, along with the other RHAs, has contributed to national submissions to the estimates process for increased resources for children.”
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service referrals - raised by Cllr Ann Bambury
“CAMHS community services in HSE Southwest are delivered across 10 community sector teams, as well as a specialist Child and Adolescent Regional Eating Disorder Services (CAREDS) team, a regional specialist ADHD waitlist initiative team and a Regional Mental Health and Intellectual Disability team. Eight of the 10 community teams are based in Cork city and county.
Listed below are the totals on the waiting list per team in Cork and the total number of open cases per team in Cork as of April 2025:
- North Cork
Total on waiting list - 249
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 235
- North Lee North
Total on waiting list - 101
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 246
- North Lee East
Total on waiting list - 57
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 140
- North Lee West
Total on waiting list - 73
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 161
- South Lee 1
Total on waiting list - 129
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 172
- South Lee 2
Total on waiting list - 37
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 74
- South Lee 3
Total on waiting list - 197
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 145
- West Cork
Total on waiting list - 91
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 216
- CAREDS
Total on waiting list - 16
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 62
- Totals
Total on waiting list - 950
Open cases as at end April 2025 - 1,451
Listed below are the average waiting time in months by region:
- North Cork - 10.98
- North Lee North - 8.24
- North Lee East - 9.24
- North Lee West - 7.05
- South Lee 1 - 13.01
- South Lee 2 - 12.12
- South Lee 3 - 15.49
- West Cork - 5.85
- CAREDS - 1.88
We acknowledge that the high demand for CAMHS services leads to long wait times for initial assessments and treatment from the multi-disciplinary team. Unfortunately, this is compounded by recruitment difficulties and a shortage of CAMHS mental health professionals, particularly in rural areas.”
Last updated on: 06 / 06 / 2025
