Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)

This Topical Issue arises from an ongoing situation in the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk. The ultrasound waiting lists have grown to around 7,000 at the moment. This fits into the parliamentary question Deputy Cullinane got an answer to. That was that we have waiting lists across the State in relation to diagnostic scans of 299,736, of which there are 10,000 children who are on the Children Health Ireland's, CHI, waiting lists. In my own general area, which is the Dublin and North-East health region, we have 58,665 and 7,000 in relation to ultrasounds.

This is an issue that I have brought up. The job for the clinical specialist sonographer in ultrasound was originally advertised in June 2025 after the previous post-holder advised that she was retiring in October 2025. Not only did she carry out management duties but she was also the one person who worked 100% on ultrasounds. We can see how capacity has been lost since she retired. There were five candidates for the position. An interview panel was being put together in the summer for interviews in July with the view of filling the position after the incumbent's retirement. However, that process was put on hold. I have been advised that the reason for this is that a clinical specialist radiographer in interventional radiography needed to be employed in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The Drogheda post was lost because it had not been filled by the time the pay and numbers review took place. Interviews for that clinical specialist radiographer in interventional radiography took place two years ago.

The Minister of State can see the issue. The belief is that the fact the position has not been filled in the Louth County Hospital is there an attempt to use that position to fill this position in Our Lady of Lourdes. I am not taking away from the need for both positions but we need to get an answer. I do not know what I can say about the answers to parliamentary questions I have received other than they do not seem to deal with the reality of those who have applied for the jobs or who are waiting on the service are dealing with. I will deal with that later.

Following questions in this House, the Minister was advised by the HSE that the post in Dundalk was open to applications and the new application deadline is 30 November in four days' time. However, the problem is that none of the five candidates have been advised of this. Those in senior HR positions within the hospitals are not aware of the application deadline. When one tries to look the job up on the HSE website, it does not seem to exist. People can see my worry at this point. How is this possible for a job that we were advised that recruitment was taking place for earlier this month? The last contact the applicants have received from the HSE was on 30 June to acknowledge receipt of their applications. They had been told informally - verbally - that the interviews were not going ahead. I do not know what this means in relation to the answers to parliamentary questions that I have received, in that I cannot say are the absolute truth. I am not saying somebody set out to lie but at best there is a serious miscommunication issue here. I would like the Minister of State to go back to the Minister for Health and that we would see this addressed.

The other issue of major concern is that the HSE's assertion in response to my parliamentary question that there would be no detrimental effect on the clinical service and ultrasound that the public receives but I am advised that capacity is currently down at least 50%. There are 7,000 currently on the waiting lists. In addition, there is no leadership in the ultrasound service at the Louth County Hospital from where the clinical specialist radiographer retired last month. It is all very concerning and all the more concerning that if the HSE moves to clear the backlog, it is going to use the services of private clinics that it has done at times in the past. This is at a huge cost.

Will there be a clinical specialist sonographer and ultrasound post in the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk? How can the HSE say there is no impact on the public when the waiting list surged to 7,000? Why have the applicants not been contacted properly and formally? Why does no one at a management or HR level at the hospitals in Dundalk or Drogheda know about the 30 November deadline?

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