New Ross Councillor Michael Sheehan is urging the HSE to address significant delays in the delivery of primary care services in New Ross and the southwest Wexford area.
He has highlighted once more issues such as long waiting times for essential services like occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, and home help. The HSE has promised a new primary care center in New Ross for over 15 years. However, after delays related to unsuitable site selection, the plan has once again stalled. Cllr. Sheehan is concerned that the project will be further delayed into 2025 and is actively seeking updates on the situation. He said that the area’s health services are already stretched thin, with many vital services being moved outside the region to Wexford and Waterford. Speaking on Morning Mix he said, "Over time, services like public health nurses and physiotherapists were moved out of the area," Now, people are waiting longer than ever for the care they need." He pointed to a recent report that shows 850 people in the southeast waiting for home health services, with approximately 200 of those in the New Ross area. "There are people available to provide care, but the hours simply aren’t being allocated," he said. The councillor has also raised concerns about GP shortages and the reduced hours of local medical care services. He called for a senior HSE representative to attend the County Council meeting to address these critical issues, stressing the need for local primary care services to be brought back to New Ross. "The primary care center needs to be located in the town center to serve the local population better, rather than having people travel to Wexford or Waterford for essential services." He is hopeful that the County Council will prioritise this issue in upcoming meetings, with the next council meeting scheduled for Monday week.
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