Chronic understaffing blamed for soaring waiting lists for child psychology appointments in parts of Cork

Local councillor and clinical psychologist Liam Quaide said that the issue with waiting lists for child psychology appointments has 'been growing in plain sight for years, and has been caused by chronic understaffing'.

"Chronic understaffing" has been blamed for soaring waiting lists for child psychology appointments in parts of Cork.

The Irish Examiner has learned there is just 1.6 whole-time equivalent psychologists assigned to the North Lee region, which has seen its waiting lists more than treble between 2020 and 2024.

Some children have been waiting for more than five years for appointments, with 1,503 on the waiting lists as of May this year. It was 435 in 2020.

Those 1.6 psychologist posts are supplemented by two psychology assistants, who are not qualified to substitute for the presence or work of a fully qualified psychologist.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, the HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare said it "sincerely regrets" the wait times and is "working to reduce both."

"We accept the impact on children waiting for appointments at both services, and we are very aware of the importance to young people and their families to timely access to services," a spokesperson said.

It noted that there has been a "very significant increase" in the number of referrals, as well as staffing challenges.

"More than half of the funded posts in the service are vacant and recruitment of psychologists is currently very difficult," the spokesperson said.

"61% of Psychology posts in Primary Care are currently vacant across Cork and Kerry."

They also noted that urgent cases are responded to "on a priority basis" and referrals are prioritised based on acuity and severity.

The North Lee catchment comprises of areas of the city north of the Lee, including Blackpool and Mayfield, as well as Blarney, Cobh, and Midleton.

The area has been without a senior psychology manager since last November following the retirement of one professional.

Hiring freeze

While one psychology appointment was identified last January, the recruitment has not actually taken place as yet due to the hiring freeze which was in place in the HSE from October 2023 to July 2024.

HSE South West said it is continuing with the recruitment process "to fill thse critical roles as soon as possible."

Local councillor and clinical psychologist Liam Quaide said that the issue with waiting lists for child psychology appointments has “been growing in plain sight for years, and has been caused by chronic understaffing”.

Mr Quaide noted that the proposed new director of psychology – which has no director comparator in any other HSE region - role recently created in the area had resulted directly from the pressure the HSE is under to alleviate those waiting lists.

Recruitment for that role has been paused by the HSE after it emerged it had been created without prior consultation with either staff or unions, with some psychiatric nurses in particular aggrieved at the development as their chain of command would move to the new position from the incumbent director of nursing without their approval.

Mr Quaide reiterated his recent call for the Oireachtas Health Committee to examine how the new director of psychology role came about without any consultation with either unions or staff, adding that the Committee should examine both “the causes of the crisis and the opaque process around the development of this post”.