Patients could wait six years for occupational therapy due to staff shortages

One woman who broke her hips two years has had to travel to her daughter’s home out of the county in order to be able to wash herself

'Larry, who turns 80 this year, needs a stair lift installed in his home as he had a pacemaker due to a heart condition and is regularly out of breath. He was told he would be waiting for 330 weeks for his appointment, that is a wait of over six years.' Photo: iStock

An 80-year-old man was told that he could have to wait up to six years for occupational therapy.

Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward highlighted the case after the HSE told him that the current longest waiting list for treatment is 330 weeks. Mr Ward had written to the HSE to enquire about a constituent who had been referred to occupational therapy in March.