The Letterkenny Community Physiotherapy Department wait list has surged to 597 patients waiting more than six months for treatment.
A letter was sent to GPs in Donegal this summer informing them that the physiotherapy department was operating at 40% capacity due to vacant physiotherapy and administrative positions.
Patients are now being prioritised “based on clinical need”.
There are now 337 patients waiting between 6 – 9 months on a treatment. A further 167 are waiting 9-12 months and 93 patients are facing wait times of more than a year.
The data was given to Independent Cllr Declan Meehan at the Regional Health Forum West.
The HSE said it is actively working to fill the vacant posts.
“The HSE wishes to apologise for any disruption to services and the increased wait times for patients and confirms that all necessary steps are being taken by Human Resources to expedite recruitment to these vacant posts,” a statement said.
“Issues around administrative support for this department had been affected due to staff leave, however staff have now returned from leave and previous levels of staffing have been reinstated. Also, due to a review of the local services a Physiotherapy Assistant is now covering the area, and administrative duties for the Physiotherapy Department are included in the role.”
