CUH consultants warn of risks to children's services amid delays and staffing shortages

Senior clinicians cite treatment delays, staffing gaps and infrastructure concerns in correspondence to health chiefs

The letter shows internal Cork University Hospital frustrations that requests first made in January 2025 to build interim infrastructure were only approved in March this year.

Delays in building new units for children’s care in Cork, when “immediate action” is needed to reduce potential risks, are among issues raised by eight senior consultants in a stark letter to the head of the HSE.

A four-year wait for children's MRIs under general anaesthetic is one example shared by eight Cork University Hospital (CUH) clinical directors.