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09 Sept 2025
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09 Sept 2025
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Orthodontic patients living in Clare have been left without a specialist orthodontist for the county for over a year, as six HSE recruitment campaigns have failed to find a replacement.
Replying to a question from west Clare councillor Rita McInerney at the HSE Regional Health Forum West this Tuesday, November 26, the Integrated Healthcare Area Manager for the Mid-West Maria Bridgeman said that the most recent campaign, in August 2024, "attracted no interested candidate".
The previous specialist orthodontist in County Clare retired from the HSE in July 2023.
The HSE have conducted six recruitment campaigns since May 2022 in an attempt to backfill this and two more vacant specialist orthodontist posts across the Mid West orthodontic service, Ms Bridgeman said.
One position, based at the HSE Orthodontic & Restorative at St. Camillus Hospital in Limerick, was filled off the back of these six campaigns.
"While every effort has been made to fill the existing vacancies within the service, unfortunately, the pool of specialist orthodontists is very limited," Ms Bridgeman continued.
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"The HSE Mid West will continue its efforts to fill these roles within the Orthodontic service and it is now planned to proceed with an international recruitment campaign in respect of the Specialist Orthodontist vacancies."
She said that "given the demands on the HSE Orthodontic service and the current resources in terms of manpower" the waiting time for Clare patients is now 4.5 years.
However, "it must be stressed that this waiting time is not unique to the Mid West area and national data confirms that patients in other regions experience a similar waiting time for treatment," Ms Bridgeman added.
"The HSE Orthodontic Service in the HSE Mid West area is making every effort to see patients in as timely a manner as is possible within the resources which are currently available to the service."
Read more Health stories at Clare Live
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