Health Services
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-08
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Frankie Feighan (FG), Sligo-Leitrim

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. I thank her for providing me with an opportunity to highlight the supports available for people living with lymphoedema and the work under way to improve services across the country. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.
Lymphoedema is a chronic and progressive condition that can have a significant impact on a person’s health, mobility, independence and quality of life. In Ireland, it is estimated that over 20,000 patients are affected by both primary and secondary lymphoedema. For many people, including those who develop lymphoedema following cancer treatment, managing the condition requires ongoing access to specialist assessment, treatment, education and support. I fully recognise the challenges that patients and their families face, and the importance of ensuring that services are delivered as close to home as possible. I thank Senator Costello for outlining her experience and the challenges she has faced.
We are committed to improving care and supports for people living with lymphoedema. A key foundation for this work is the HSE lymphoedema and lipoedema model of care, which was approved in 2019. The model sets out a patient-centred and evidence-based approach for prevention, early detection, treatment, education and support.
Since the model of care was endorsed, the HSE has progressed implementation through a proof-of-concept approach. This has resulted in the establishment of three specialist lymphoedema clinics in the community, located in Clare, Meath and Donegal, together with three early detection services in acute cancer centres at the Mater hospital, St. James’s Hospital and University Hospital Limerick. These services are continuing to receive funding in 2026. Further roll-out of this proof of concept is a matter for the HSE’s service plan Estimates process.
The evidence emerging from the proof-of-concept clinics is encouraging. The specialist lymphoedema clinics have demonstrated improvements in quality of life, improved access to care and high levels of patient satisfaction. Among patients reviewed after 12 months of treatment, there was an 88% reduction in episodes of cellulitis, an 80% reduction in hospitalisations associated with cellulitis, significant reductions in GP and public health nurse visits, and reduced demand on both acute and community services.
Particularly noteworthy is the impact of the early detection services on cancer patients. Current data indicates that these programmes have reduced the incidence of lymphoedema in breast cancer patients from approximately 25% to 1.7%, underlining the value of early intervention and surveillance. In conjunction with the early detection services, the national cancer control programme has developed several breast cancer national clinical guidelines in consultation with a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders, including patient representatives. These guidelines aim to reduce variation in practice, improve patient outcomes and experience of care, and support the optimal use of healthcare resources.
Investment has been made in workforce development and education. National funding has supported specialist lymphoedema training since 2022 and 74 healthcare professionals have now completed specialist education in lymphoedema management. The national lymphoedema and lipoedema education group continues to support professional development and has produced a range of patient information resources, including information booklets and digital supports, that help patients understand their condition and manage symptoms effectively.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-08/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:10+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08