Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue of public health nurses and their importance was mentioned. In my area, parents were getting letters from the HSE to state that the public health nurse service could not deliver child services for their children's development assessment at three, nine, 11, 21 to 24 and 46 to 48 months. I was one of the people who highlighted this issue at the time. We focused more on children's developmental checks being missed. Basically, we focused on the child. Listening to the witnesses, however, it is clear that public health nurses play a role in the health, including mental health, of parents and that is being missed in this regard as well. I ask the witnesses to address this issue of children not getting developmental checks and public health nurses not visiting parents up to 48 months after the child is born in my area, including in Clondalkin, Lucan and Palmerstown.