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Ireland disability services

Where the maths fails to add up. 1,204 adult day services, 95 CDNTs, 105 providers across 26 counties.

Public policy research by 8GI Foundation. All figures cited to primary HSE, CSO, and Oireachtas sources.

Interactive map requires JavaScript. Data table available below.

Adult day services — 1,204 locations

RehabCare (Rehab Group)
Section 39
83
St John of God
Section 38
80
National Learning Network (Rehab Group)
Section 39
66
St Michael's House
Section 38
59
Brothers of Charity (South East)
Section 38
58
Avista
Section 38
51
Stewarts Care
Section 38
48
Brothers of Charity (Galway)
Section 38
43
Irish Wheelchair Association
Section 39
41
Brothers of Charity (Cork)
Section 38
41
Cope Foundation
Section 38
37
HSE North West (CHO 1)
HSE direct
35
Brothers of Charity (Clare)
Section 38
33
Western Care Association
Section 39
28
Ability West
Section 39
28

Source: disabilitydayservices.com

National figures

Provider organisations
494 organisations
source
Service arrangements
1,172 service arrangements / grant aid agreements
source
Section 38 bodies
15 Section 38 bodies
source
Section 39 organisations
237 Section 39 organisations
source
People in residential
8,800 people in residential services
source
People in day / rehab
23,000 people in day / rehabilitative services
source

CDNT national figures

Children in service
45,141 children currently receiving CDNT services
source
Waiting for first contact
8,648 children waiting for first CDNT contact
source
Waiting over 1 year
6,035 children waiting over one year (end-2025)
source
Vacancy rate
18 % of CDNT posts unfilled
source
Vacant posts
445 vacant CDNT posts (rounded from 445.4)
source
Budget 2025
3,000,000,000 EUR Disability Services budget 2025
source

Note. On 1 October 2024 the HSE replaced the 9 Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) and Hospital Group structures with 6 Health Regions. CDNTs continue to operate on a geographic basis aligned to the legacy CHO catchments while the new Region structure is bedded in. From January 2025 the HSE has stopped publishing workforce data by CHO. The 9-CHO view here is preserved because the Quaide PQ data and CDNT geography still map cleanly to it.

Health Region breakdown

RegionWTE allocWTE actualVacancyCaseloadPer WTEWaiting>1yr
HSE West & North West409.6343.116.2%5,88217.1540162
HSE Mid West202.0141.629.9%6,06042.81,261679
HSE South West368.1296.919.3%7,63125.7644187
HSE Dublin & South East427.0281.234.2%6,50623.12,4581,892
HSE Dublin & Midlands458.2322.729.6%9,00027.92,6421,905
HSE Dublin & North East531.4371.930.0%9,36125.22,5541,768
National2396.41757.418%44,44025.310,0996,593
The maths

44,440 children on caseload / 1757 WTE = 25.3 children per therapist. 6,593 of 10,099 waiting over a year (65%).

Autism filter

EI classes 2024/25
157 early intervention classes
source
EI classes 2025/26
149 early intervention classes
source
Cork EI classes lost since 2020
6 early intervention classes lost in Cork since 2020
source

Sources