Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that it is unacceptable that the waiting list of children’s audiology services in Russell Centre, Tallaght which serves South Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow have been allowed to double in the space of just two years.

Teachta Crowe said that the ill-advised HSE recruitment freeze is causing havoc in certain sections of the healthcare sector and must be ended so that vital posts in services like audiology can be filled.

Figures released by the HSE show that, in April 2024, the combined number of children waiting their first appointment and those awaiting review is now 5,856. This is compared to the figure of 2,505 in May 2022.

Teachta Crowe said:

“Audiology services are a vital part of our health service. They provide hearing tests, supports for those with hearing loss, and hearing aids and implants. Without these services, we are limiting the potential of our children in accessing education and leading as full a life as they can.

“That is why it is shocking that figures released to me by the HSE this week show that the waiting list for children’s audiology services at Russell Centre in Tallaght, which serves as the hub for South Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow, has been allowed to more than double in just two years.

“There are now 5,856 children either waiting on their first appointment or a review of their case. Some of those children have been waiting almost three years just to be seen. That figure was 2,505 in May 2022.

“The response from the HSE identifies the problem as ‘high demand levels and a number of staff vacancies at present, which cannot proceed to recruitment currently due to the recruitment pause within the HSE’. The ill-advised HSE recruitment freeze is causing havoc in certain sections of the healthcare sector and must be ended so that vital posts in services like audiology can be filled.

“Our new Taoiseach Simon Harris has shouted from the rooftops that he is going to make disability services one of his key priorities. Well, he has sat in Cabinet for the past eight years. He has sat by while the HSE recruitment freeze was put in place. He watched on with his colleagues as waiting lists grew and grew.

“If we are going to see any real change, we need a change of government. Right now, we are getting more of the same and that simply isn’t good enough. Sinn Féin have a plan for health. We can end the waiting list scandal that is plaguing our health service. We just need a chance to show what we can do differently.”