HSE jobs freeze leaves gaps in dental service

Just 2.6 dentists to cover all West Cork schoolchildren

BY SIOBHÁN CRONIN AND JACKIE KEOGH

THE critical shortage of dental services for schoolchildren in West Cork needs urgent attention, as a HSE recruitment freeze is creating a gulf in local services.

That’s according to local Sen Tim Lombard (FG) who says there are now just two dental clinics serving the entire area, in Bantry and Clonakilty, after the closure of clinics in Dunmanway, Skibbereen, Schull and Castletownbere.

By June of last year, there were 860 patients assessed in the Cork and Kerry region as needing orthodontic treatment, and 1,937 more were in ‘active treatment’.

However, there were 2,900 waiting for orthodontic assessment and 2,600 waiting to start treatment.

Senator Tim Lombard said that there are just 2.6 dentists covering the entire region – an area he said was the equivalent of Dublin to Kilkenny – and this is having a huge impact on waiting lists.

The HSE says it is unable to fill several vacant posts due to its recruitment embargo. ‘The service in West Cork was better 10 years ago than it is today,’ he said.

He was speaking in the Seanad last week and asked junior Health Minister Mary Butler to address the issue.

In response to Sen Lombard, Minister Mary Butler said it was ‘very worrying’ that Skibbereen and Dunmanway no longer had dental clinics for schoolchildren.

She added that there was a backlog of cases since Covid, but she recognised the importance of children being seen early on, in order to prevent issues later.

Regarding waiting lists, she said her figures only related to June of last year, and that at the time there were 860 patients assessed in the Cork and Kerry region as needing orthodontic treatment – the greatest level of dental care.

There were a further 1,937 in ‘active’ orthodontic treatment. However, there were significantly more patients on waiting lists than in treatment, with 2,900 awaiting orthodontic assessment and 2,600 waiting to start treatment.

‘The first thing is that the recruitment embargo has to be lifted straight away,’ Sen Lombard said. ‘Then we must look at incentives to make it attractive to work in rural areas.’

Cllr Caroline Cronin (FG) submitted a motion to the HSE forum last November about the reduction in clinics, and at the time there were three dental clinics open in the West Cork area. Since then, the dental clinic in Dunmanway closed, leaving just Bantry and Clonakilty to serve the area.

Sen Lombard said it was ‘frightening’ to think that the entire Mizen area has no local dentist for its schools.

‘In the past, children saw the dentist in 1st, 3rd and 6th class. Currently, only children in 6th class are offered an appointment, and this shift has resulted in the current 6th class pupils having missed out on vital routine treatment like fissure seals.’

‘When they do receive an appointment, they have to travel long distances to Bantry or Clonakilty. The frustrating thing is that the infrastructure is there,’ he said, adding that the new primary care centres in Castletownbere and Schull have the facilities.

The HSE pointed out that there is an emergency service available to any child under 16 suffering from chronic dental pain and infection.

The clinic closures were first raised by Cllr Cronin in November, and Cllr Declan Hurley reminded councillors at a recent West Cork Municipal District meeting that Dunmanway is now also closed.

Cllr Hurley said the closure, which catered for 15 schools, happened before Christmas and the workload has been passed on to Bantry and Clonakilty.

‘The Clonakilty clinic has one full-time dentist five days per week, while Bantry operates with just one part-time dentist three days per week,’ he said.

Cllr Hurley said parents now have the difficult decision of paying for private treatment – that could cost €4,000 – or leaving their children on the waiting lists.

‘We are on borrowed time here before another service closes,’ said Cllr Hurley.

Members of the West Cork Municipal District requested that a letter be sent to the HSE to find out what can be done to halt the serious decline in the service.