Dermatology patients facing five-year wait

PATIENTS at Tallaght Hospital are waiting up to five years for dermatology services and no new referrals are being taken due to a backlog of cases.

The information emerged from a parliamentary question last week when it was revealed that a severely mentally disabled child will have to wait five years for dermatology services at Tallaght Hospital.

Urgent cases cannot be fast-tracked, and patients can only be treated for skin conditions at the hospital if they present through A&E.