LATEST: Tipperary activist presses HSE on delays affecting 20,000 children
Disability activist Cara Darmody presented her research on vaccine misinformation at the meeting and also pressed for urgent action on the assessments of need crisis.
Disability rights activist Cara Darmody, who is from Tipperary, has described her recent meeting with HSE Chief Executive Bernard Gloster as positive, following months of public pressure over shortcomings in the Assessments of Need system and rising concerns about vaccine misinformation.
At the meeting, Cara raised two key issues: the findings of her Stripe Young Scientist project on autism and vaccines, and the deepening crisis in Assessments of Need.
Cara presented the findings of her nationally recognised Stripe Young Scientist project, which surveyed over 10,000 adults and examined public understanding of autism and vaccines.
While the project made multiple findings, Cara focused on vaccine misinformation and the real-world harm it can cause, particularly for children when vaccines are delayed or refused.
Mr Gloster congratulated Cara on receiving the RTÉ Special Project Award and described the research as a substantial piece of work with serious findings and significant survey data.
He shared Cara’s concerns about the prevalence of vaccine misinformation and endorsed her two key recommendations: a national public awareness campaign to correct misinformation, and a separate, targeted education programme for schools.
Based on Cara’s findings, Mr Gloster confirmed that he will forward the project and its recommendations for consideration to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, the Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health, and relevant Government Ministers.
He also revealed that he had briefed the Minister of State at the Department of Children, Emer Higgins, on the findings the previous evening.
Cara said she was “thrilled” that the project was being taken so seriously, adding that she had also received letters from the Taoiseach and Tánaiste congratulating her on the success of the research while expressing concern about its findings.
“Mr Gloster was incredibly impressed with the project and fully shared my concerns about vaccine misinformation,” she said.
“I’m really grateful that the findings will now be considered at senior Government level."
Cara also used the meeting to press Gloster on the Assessments of Need crisis, an issue on which she has previously staged high-profile protests, including a 50-hour demonstration outside Leinster House that helped secure €20 million for Cara’s Fund in last year’s Budget.
Cara thanked him for launching the previous recruitment campaign but expressed her disappointment that it could have been more visual in the media, and detailed how she wanted future campaigns to be presented.
Bernard took this on board and undertook to brief the Secretary General of the Depatment of Health to ensure this happens with the next recruitment campaign, which will occur in the next few months.
He undertook to personally speak about this in the media himself. Bernard was able to update Cara that the therapists and psychologists recruited from the previous campaign will actually only begin working from February 9, so it’s from that date on that true success or failure can be measured.
Cara asked Bernard to consider an emergency plan at that point to tackle the 20,000 children on waiting lists, which he said that he will once the extra capacity is in place on February 9. He expects massive impact when the new therapists and psychologists take up their positions.
Bernard wanted to emphasise that, in the same way Cara fought so hard to get the 20 million to ‘Cara’s Fund’ in the last Budget, that he fought as hard to get 976 new posts financed, which he believes will have a big impact in 2026.