2026-02-18

In the south-west area, which includes Cork and Kerry, there is no consultant dermatologist employed. This issue came to a head recently when a consultant wrote to parents advising that appointments could not be given because no consultant paediatric dermatologist is employed in the Cork-Kerry region. I understand funding was granted for eight additional posts in Dublin, bringing the total number of posts there to more than ten. The number of patients referred to dermatology consultants in the south-west region was more than 17,000 in 2024. There were 10,000 new cases and 12,000 returning cases in that year. There is a huge volume of work being done, with the whole Cork-Kerry region being covered by a total of 7.4 consultant posts. There are more than 750,000 people in the region, a percentage of whom are being referred. Parents of children with a particular dermatology issue are having to travel to Dublin from the south-west region. This is a huge concern for parents. The first worry for them is that their child has a medical condition that requires an appointment with a consultant, and the planning that requires. In the Cork-Kerry region, they have no alternative but to travel to Dublin. In fairness, there are very few dermatology referrals from Cork to Dublin in an overall context. However, the volume of referrals has increased substantially. The manner in which the service is run in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, SIVUH, is such that it also provides care in Bantry, Tralee and Mallow. How can we deal with this challenge? I understand a submission has been made to the HSE in the south-west area seeking appointment of a consultant dermatologist. A clear case has been set out that if this person were located in the Cork-Kerry region, a huge volume of work currently being referred to Dublin could be dealt with in the region and the need for referral would not arise. I ask that this issue be examined by both the Minister of State's office and the HSE at national level. The HSE in the south west cannot make the decision on this; it must be approved at national level. I ask that a consultant paediatric dermatologist be appointed to look after children with a skin disorder or other dermatology issue, which would mean parents do not have the expense of having to travel all the way from south Kerry, west Cork or Cork city to Dublin to access that care.

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue and giving me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on paediatric dermatology services in the HSE south west. Those services are provided through primary care services, regional dermatology services and specialist dermatology services based in Children's Health Ireland, CHI, in Dublin. Paediatric dermatology services in the south-west region are primarily provided in Cork from the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, which serves as the regional hub for the specialty. As the regional centre, it treats a wide range of conditions in infants, children and adolescents, including eczema, psoriasis, acne and rare genetic skin disorders. While SIVUH is the regional hub, Cork University Hospital also hosts outreach clinics and integrated care for children with complex needs. Public dermatology services from the regional hub centre also extend to Bantry General Hospital and University Hospital Kerry. In addition, CHI manages and delivers paediatric dermatology services across the three paediatric hospitals in Dublin. CHI is currently focused on reducing the numbers waiting, as well as reducing the waiting times, on the dermatology outpatient lists. I acknowledge the impact on patients and their families who have to travel to Dublin. I am not sure whether those having to do so are those accessing the specialist dermatology services based in CHI. I assure the Deputy that the delivery of high-quality patient-centred care and best practice remains at the centre of all hospital activity. Having said that, I see exactly the point he is making. I checked this morning and the waiting lists are extremely high, especially for children seeking dermatology supports. There has been a small reduction in the waiting list of 58 young children and adolescents. In January 2026, there were 227 people waiting between six and 12 months and 601 waiting from nought to six months. That shows the massive demand for this service. On the Deputy’s question regarding the recruitment of paediatric dermatology consultants to the south-west region, the HSE has advised that while it currently has no plan in this regard for 2026, the matter will be kept under consideration for the future. That seems to be at odds with what the Deputy has said. I certainly will look into it. Obviously, the HSE will use waiting-list initiative funding to take some of this list down. I will bring back to the regional executive officer, Dr. Andy Phillips, and the Minister for Health the Deputy's contention that there are no plans to hire an additional paediatric dermatology consultant given that it is clear that this waiting list is forever too high, especially for young children.

I fully understand that this matter was probably only given to the Minister of State late last night. I will give her the figures as regards the turnaround in dermatology services for the entire country. One of the things she will see in those figures is the efficiency in the south-west region in dealing with dermatology cases. As I said, the volume is over 17,000 referred, while 10,000 were new and 12,000 were returning patients. With 7.4 consultants, a real effort is being made by the entire team, not just the consultants but also the registrars, senior house officers, SHOs, and nursing staff. The problem is that funding was provided for an additional eight paediatric dermatology consultants in Dublin. There are now ten there but none have been appointed to locations outside of Dublin, which is a mistake. When we see the efficiency of the Cork-Kerry region, we believe that a paediatric dermatologist appointed in that region would help to deal with and not clog up the lists, especially as there are long waiting lists in Dublin already. The Department should engage with HSE south west to see how this can be moved forward as regards appointing someone to deal with this issue. That is basically what I am asking.

I have a briefing note here that states that CHI has a staffing complement of 8.8 whole-time consultant dermatologists. These are 8.8 whole-time equivalent, or funded recurring consultant dermatologists, across three CHI sites but it is currently operating within 6.3 whole-time equivalents. That is the information I have. I also know from my own area, and Deputy Michael Murphy will be aware of this as well, that in the old CHO 5 area, for example, dermatology consultants are scarce and it is difficult to recruit them. To return to what the Deputy said about the letter only being submitted last night, I can follow up on that in relation to the additional dermatologist posts that have been sought. Thankfully, with the new regional structure, the six regional executive officers have received their cohort of staffing numbers. There were 3,300 this year: 300 for mental health and 3,000 for all other definitions. They are able to decide and determine whether they want to prioritise a certain speciality. I will certainly follow up on this for the Deputy because it is very difficult for young children with eczema, psoriasis or acne, or teenagers with acne. Looking at the waiting lists, they are quite long. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter; it is a really important one first thing this morning.