In a response to parliamentary question by Gino Kenny TD the HSE have stated there continues to be a severe lack of public health nurses in the Lucan and Newcastle area. Deputy Kenny who was contacted by parents in the last number of years stating that the availability of PHN’s in these areas was negligible. The HSE stated in their response that the public health nursing service in Lucan and Newcastle has moved to a priority P1 service as per the national caseload prioritisation procedure.
Deputy Kenny who has raised this issue with the Minister for Health said, “The lack of public health nurses in the Lucan and Newcastle area is having a detrimental effect on parents needing developmental checks for their infant children. The recruitment pauses in the health service and the failure to recruit student PHN’s for last year is a very worrying sign that this issue could be prolonged for years to come. The fundamental question is continuing to be that parents in these areas have no access to this service which is unacceptable.”
