Health Services Staff
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-18
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the number of times he has raised it. I have answered him several times in relation to this. As I go through the answer, for anyone listening in, it will become very clear that every effort has been made to try to recruit staff, but the HSE just has not been able to do so.
As the Deputy knows, the HSE provides optical services free of charge to preschool children and national school children referred from child health service and school health service examinations who are discovered to have sight problems. These children are referred to the appropriate optical care, which will continue to be provided until the child has reached the age of 16 years. The community ophthalmic services scheme, COSS, is a national fee-per-item scheme which was introduced in 1979. Under the COSS, medical card holders aged over 16 years can be seen by local ophthalmologists, community ophthalmic physicians, optometrists or dispensing opticians who have entered into a contract with the HSE to provide services.
The HSE has advised that the community ophthalmologist physician post, as the Deputy has referred to many times, became vacant in October 2024 due to a retirement. As he knows, our constituencies border each other and this has been raised with me as well. I met one of the nurses while I was out and about one day in west Waterford, close to Clonmel, and it was raised with me. I just happened to come across the nurse working in the services and she explained to me how difficult it had become. In line with the national clinical programme for ophthalmology model of eye care and the modernised eye care pathway - this is important - the community ophthalmologist physician post has been upgraded to the position of consultant medical ophthalmologist. Following a recruitment process to fill the post in south Tipperary, an interim appointment was made in July 2025. Unfortunately, the successful candidate subsequently declined the post prior to the commencement date. I am telling the Deputy everything he knows, but I want to put it on the record. Unfortunately, a second recruitment campaign in late 2025 resulted in no candidates being shortlisted.
The HSE acknowledges the impact on patients, both children and adults, caused by the current vacancy and has further advised that it readvertised this position in the Irish College of Ophthalmologists with a closing date of 21 January 2026 and, positively, several eligible candidates have applied. Shortlistings will commence on 27 February with interviews anticipated in mid-March 2026. The HSE expects to fill the role in the near future. The HSE has also confirmed that a clinical optometrist and orthoptist post were also advertised, with a closing date of 19 January. The recruitment of these positions will ensure the resumption of optical services for those living in the south Tipperary region.
The HSE has advised that patients from the Tipperary south area who have been unable to receive eye care due to this vacancy may, for urgent eye care issues, be referred to the eye service via the emergency department in University Hospital Waterford and that all patients have been notified of this additional referral pathway but I acknowledge that is not a suitable pathway for children. It is difficult presenting to a hospital like that.
The HSE has also engaged with the Royal Victoria Ear and Eye Hospital in Dublin with a view to supporting Tipperary south. It has undertaken discussions with a private agency and a scoping exercise has been conducted in this regard. Personally, I would much prefer to see the consultant in place and services resume. I know that the Deputy wants that as well. For emergencies, a scoping exercise is under way. I am actually pleased to hear that there were several applications which we did not have previously.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:39+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-18