Primary care waiting lists in theCork-Kerry region up 62% since 2019

When December 2024 primary care waiting lists for the Cork and Kerry region are added together, they show that 42,053 were awaiting services, an increase of 16,085, or 62% when compared to the figure of 25,968 for 2019.

In December 2024, there were 4,864 people awaiting treatment under audiology services in the Cork and Kerry region, compared to 3,286 in 2019, marking an increase of 48%.

Of that 2024 figure, 2,235 of those waiting on audiology services were children, 597 of them for more than a year, and of that, 421 were children under the age of five.

Some 819 people who were over the age of 65 were waiting on services for more than a year.

December 2024 saw 4,187 people awaiting treatment from dietetics services in the region, compared to 2,869 in 2019, a 46% increase.

Of the 4,187 patients awaiting dietetics services by the end of last year, 218 were children who were waiting more than a year for services, while 953 adults were waiting more than a year.

There were 6,741 people awaiting first-time assessment for occupational therapy services in the CHO4 region — which covers Cork and Kerry — in December 2024, compared to 5,240 in 2019, an increase of 29%.

Occupational therapy 

Of the people awaiting assessment for occupational therapy at the end of last year, 4,418 were children, 1,549 of whom were waiting more than 12 months. Of that figure, 57 were under the age of five.

Some 1,954 of those waiting were over 65, of whom 75 were waiting more than a year for services.

In December 2024, some 3,645 people were awaiting ophthalmology services, compared to 3,081 in 2019, an 18% increase. Some 2,163 of those waiting on ophthalmology services last year were children, 845 of whom had been waiting more than a year.

Some 709 were over 65, and 559 of them were waiting more than 52 weeks to receive services.

There were 8,503 people awaiting assessment for physiotherapy in 2024, compared to 3,847 in 2019, an increase of 121%. Of those waiting on assessment, 1,068 were children, some 323 of whom were waiting for more than a year.

Some 3,621 were over the age of 65, with 668 waiting more than a year.

Some 1,013 people were awaiting treatment from podiatry services in the CHO4 region in 2024, compared to 492 in 2019, a 105% increase.

Podiatry services 

Strikingly, there were only three children in the region awaiting podiatry services at the end of 2024, one of whom was under the age of five and was awaiting treatment for more than a year.

The other two children were aged between five and 18, and one of them was awaiting treatment more than a year.

The majority of those awaiting podiatry treatment, 739, were over 65 years old, and more than half of that number, 418, waiting for treatment for more than a year.

There were 6,293 people waiting on treatment for psychology services in the region in December 2024, against 1,284 in December 2019, an increase of 390%.

Of those awaiting psychology services in 2024, almost all, 6,216, were children, 4,000 of whom had been waiting over a year for services. This marks a 713% increase on 2019, when 492 children were waiting more than a year for services.

In December 2024, 1,770 patients were awaiting initial assessment for speech and language therapy, compared to 1,645 in 2019, an 8% increase.

Speech and language therapy

Those awaiting speech and language therapy are not enumerated by age, but the HSE provides a detailed breakdown of waiting times.

Some 1,105 patients were awaiting initial assessment for up to four months; 459 from four months to eight months; 195 from eight months to 12 months; and 11 from one year to 18 months.

At the same time, 1,953 patients were awaiting initial speech and language therapy, against 1,428 in 2019, a 37% increase. Some 556 were awaiting initial assessment for up to four months; 496 from four months to eight months; 362 from eight months to 12 months; 348 from one year to 18 months; 185 from 18 months to two years; and six were waiting more than two years.

In 2024, 3,084 patients were awaiting further speech and language therapy, against 2,796 in 2019, a 10% increase.

Some 1,135 were awaiting further therapy for up to four months; 812 from four months to eight months; 556 from eight months to 12 months; 374 from one year to 18 months; and 207 were waiting from 18 months to two years.

Scandalous

Responding to the figures released to his party colleague, David Cullinane, Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, called on the Government to fast-track primary care centres in Blarney, Mayfield and Glanmire.

“These scandalous figures outline the crisis that exists in our primary care services in Cork and Kerry.

“You cannot dispute the figures. They clearly lay out a health service that is in crisis,"

he said.

“It is not just one aspect of the health service that is struggling. Care in the community, is a vital cog in the health service and it is clear, from these figures, that is on its knees.”

Mr Gould said primary care centres for Blarney, Mayfield, and Glanmire had been promised for several years.

“These communities are in desperate need of the service, and it is clear we need additional capacity,” he said.

“In Glanmire, it took almost 18 months for a planning application to be lodged that has since been refused.

“The HSE should now take over and build this themselves, because these communities cannot continue to wait for primary care.”

Broad consistency for numbers on waiting list for various services

A year-on-year comparison of primary care waiting lists for the Cork and Kerry region for December 2023 and December 2024 shows broad consistency across the eight primary care disciplines, with more than 40,000 people awaiting services in both years.

The figures have some fluctuation across services, but the over-all figure for 2024, which shows 42,053 were awaiting primary care services in the CHO4 region, marks a 2% decrease on the 2023 figure of 43,069.

There were 4,864 patients waiting for audiology services in 2024, a decrease of 3% on the 5,011 people waiting in 2023. Some 4,187 people were waiting on dietetic services in 2024, marking a significant, 42% reduction on the 2023 figure of 7,237.

In 2024, there were 6,741 people awaiting first time assessment for occupational therapy, marking a 28% increase on the 2023 figure of 52,53.

Waiting lists for ophthalmology in CHO4 in 2024 had 3,645 people, a 2% increase on 2023, when the figure was 3,578.

There were 8,503 people awaiting assessment for physiotherapy in 2024, compared to 9,997 in 2023, a decrease of 15%.

Some 1,013 people were awaiting treatment from podiatry services in 2024, compared to 1,330 in 2023, a decrease of 24%.

There were 6,293 people awaiting treatment by psychology services in the region in December 2024, against 4,508 a year earlier, a 40% increase.

In December 2024, 1,770 patients were awaiting initial assessment for speech and language therapy, compared to 1,620 in 2023, an 9% increase.

At the same time, 1,953 patients were awaiting initial speech and language therapy, against 2,030 in 2023, a 4% increase.

In 2024, 3,084 patients were awaiting further speech and language therapy, against 2,505 in 2023, a 23% increase.