Activist from Tipperary calls out HSE failures ahead of key meeting with Bernard Gloster

Disability rights campaigner Cara Darmody is set to meet HSE Chief Executive Bernard Gloster this Friday, January 30, 2026, in a bid to force urgent action on Ireland’s deepening Assessment of Needs crisis.

The meeting comes after years of sustained activism by the 15-year-old advocate who hails from Tipperary, including a high-profile 50-hour protest that drew national attention to the thousands of children waiting far beyond legal timelines for statutory assessments.

Cara is expected to use the meeting to press for immediate reform of the HSE’s recruitment strategy, warning that existing efforts have failed to deliver meaningful change.

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More than 18,000 children are currently on waiting lists for Assessments of Need, despite a recruitment campaign launched in September 2025 following earlier pressure from the campaigner.

She argues that the campaign has been insufficient, citing low visibility, slow results and a continued failure to meet the six-month legal timeframe required under the Disability Act.

At Friday’s meeting, Cara will formally call for a new, high-profile national recruitment campaign aimed specifically at psychologists and therapists.

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She is also seeking an urgent review of the current recruitment process and the introduction of short-term emergency measures, including the recruitment of qualified therapists from the UK, to alleviate immediate service gaps.

“The HSE is currently breaking the law by failing to provide assessments within the legal six-month timeframe,” she said.

“Families need more than reassurances. We need a visible, effective recruitment campaign that actually puts professionals in place to support children.”

In addition to the assessment backlog, Cara will also brief Mr Gloster on findings from her award-winning research into vaccine misinformation, conducted as part of her Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition project.

The study, which surveyed 10,373 adults across Ireland, uncovered significant levels of uncertainty and misinformation surrounding autism.

According to the research, 31 per cent of respondents expressed doubt or uncertainty about whether vaccines may cause autism.

This included three per cent who strongly agreed with the claim, five per cent who agreed, and a further 23 per cent who said they were unsure.

Cara has described the findings as a “national concern” that requires an immediate and coordinated educational response.

Her project received a Highly Commended award and the RTÉ Special Category Award, and she believes the data highlights an urgent need for the HSE to strengthen public health messaging to prevent vaccine hesitancy and protect the autism community from persistent misinformation.

“My research shows that the HSE must do more to actively challenge the myths that continue to circulate about autism and vaccines,” she said.

“Silence allows misinformation to grow.”

Friday’s meeting is expected to be a critical moment in her ongoing campaign, as pressure continues to mount on the HSE to deliver solutions to the Assessment of Needs crisis here in Ireland.