Ireland's child disability waiting list dropped 25% since Dec. 2024, but long delays persist due to staff shortages.

In October 2025, 1,175 children in Ireland had appointments with Child Disability Network Teams, a drop from September, but waiting times improved as the national waiting list fell to 9,620—down 25% since December 2024 and 42% since July 2023. Over 6,200 children have waited more than a year, with the highest backlogs in Dublin Midlands, Dublin and North East, and Dublin and South East. Despite an eight percentage point improvement, 18% of CDNT positions—445.4 posts—remain unfilled, with vacancy rates exceeding 40% in several regions, prompting the HSE to stress urgent workforce needs to reduce delays.