Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking the question. Parents across County Longford are becoming increasingly anxious and frustrated about the situation regarding the ophthalmology service at St. Joseph's care campus in Longford. Over many years, parents have always found the local service to be very efficient. It was a comfort and support to know it was on hand locally. There is a serious failing in oversight on the part of the HSE and there is simply no reason, if the service is on hold, that children who were attending St. Joseph's cannot now be seen in Roscommon or Mullingar until a vacant position in Longford is filled. I understand the ophthalmologist who was covering County Longford is still working in Mullingar and would be readily familiar with the cases in Longford. A source of further distress for many local families is that the orthoptist for Longford–Athlone left her post, and that vacancy is now going into a third month unfilled. It is very unsettling and worrying for parents to know two key posts have now been allowed to go unfilled. Are plans in place to recruit a new ophthalmologist in Longford? Will there be a replacement orthoptist for the Longford-Athlone region?

A busy clinic and region now has two vacant posts, with the service having closed overnight, it seems. Worried parents sense there are no plans to recruit replacement staff. The position of the HSE and the Department on this is now truly unacceptable. The people of Longford, specifically parents, are asking me whether the posts will be filled and whether the successful clinic in Longford is gone. With work on the St. Joseph's care campus in Longford about to start following unprecedented investment, it seems truly laughable that the HSE would, by sleight of hand, pull from the facility a service that had been working so well. The entire approach has been far from acceptable. Even if the service is lost to Longford temporarily, why have parents and service users not been given the opportunity to access similar services in Athlone, Mullingar or Roscommon rather than being referred to private providers? This is a serious failing in oversight on the part of the HSE. There is simply no reason children in the service at St. Joseph's cannot be seen in Roscommon or Mullingar until the Longford post is filled.

I understand the post in Longford was very successful and that the person in the role is working elsewhere in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 8, which is even more frustrating. It is very upsetting and worrying for parents to know that the two key posts have been allowed to go unfilled. What we require is a cast-iron guarantee that the service will be secured for County Longford and that the post will be filled. We need a definite timeline for when the service will be properly and adequately staffed. As an interim solution, surely the children I will refer to later and the many other children from Longford affected by this situation should have appointments scheduled without delay at appropriate clinics in Mullingar or Roscommon.

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