Children and babies in parts of west Dublin are continuing to miss out on crucial health checks because of a shortage of public health nurses.
The shortage of public health nurses is impacting on the very youngest, with development checks for children and babies delayed or unavailable.
The HSE has said it is working to address the problem but local representatives and nurses' unions have said urgent action is now needed.
Typically the HSE offers ranges of checks, initially within the first 72 hours, and then at various different intervals - 3 months, 9-11 months, 21-24 months and 46-48 months.
The assessments, carried out by public health nurses, are in place to ensure the child is healthy and developing normally. But, in affected parts of Dublin, it is now just the initial first check that is guaranteed.
"As a first time mommy, you hope you're doing the best for your child. But, it's the public health nurse, they have the training for this, and they know what the milestones are to be looking out for," said Siubhán Uí Cheallaigh, a mother of one, living in Lucan.
Her daughter is now 14 months old, and received the initial check and the three-month assessment.
However, Siubhán said she was told the ten-month check was not being offered and that the two-year and four-year assessments were unlikely. The reason? Staff shortages.
"It's disappointing, because you would like for your daughter or son to get the same access to services that are made available to other people across the country.
"It's just in case you missed something ... I talk to my mom, I talk to my friends who have children, and I try and read up about stuff. I'm trying to keep an eye out for everything that I should be - what are the different milestones that my daughter needs to meet?
"But I don't have the trained eye for that. I suppose the public health nurse does. And my daughter isn't being able to avail of that service," she said.
Local representatives, including Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward, say the issue has been dragging on for years. It still persists, he says, and hundreds are affected.
"I have parents contact me all the time that are not getting the full developmental checks for their children. The parents are terribly worried that they might miss something," he said.
"The brain develops most in the first five years of a child's life than any other stage [in] their life. And at this moment, in Dublin midwest, children are only getting their development check in the first three days of when they're being born, after that, parents are on their own."
He is calling for more staff and for an explanation too as to why the shortage of public health nurses is impacting his area in particular.
'I'd like to see the HSE do an investigation into why Dublin midwest seems to be an outlier and not like the rest of the country, and to see why we're having trouble in retaining and recruiting public health nurses ... This is a postcode lottery of services, and it shouldn't be happening," Mr Ward said.
In a statement, the HSE said recruiting and retaining public health nurses has been an ongoing challenge, particularly in the greater Dublin area.
It said, at a national level, 98% of babies receive a check within the first three days of going home, and 84% get their 9-11 month check on time.
But it is clear, in parts of west Dublin those numbers are not being met, with latest figures showing that only around 35% of babies are getting their 9-11 month check on time.
The local HSE has apologised to families affected, but said work to address the recruitment issues is ongoing.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said missed or delayed checks is a result of severe understaffing.
In a statement, it said the number of Public Health Nurses has remained "effectively static" over the past five years, despite significant growth in community demand and it is calling for the annual training capacity to be increased from 160 to 240 places.
The HSE said parents with "specific concerns" regarding their child's development are encouraged to contact the Public Health Nurse Service directly.
It said the service is currently triaging calls and discussing concerns with parents and offer additional supports where possible.
