More than 32,000 adults are waiting more than a year for an initial primary care assessment, according to figures from the HSE.Primary care covers a range of disciplines including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, audiology, ophthalmology and psychology. Some 12,000 adults are waiting more than two years for an assessment, about 5,600 are waiting more than three years, 1,500 are waiting more than four years and 450 are waiting more than five years.Most of the people waiting for an initial assessment for more than a year require physiotherapy (14,854) or occupational therapy (7,080). Even after an assessment, thousands of people face wait long waits for treatment. The issue is particularly acute in physiotherapy with about 5,400 adults waiting more than a year for treatment after their initial assessment. The vast majority of these people – almost 5,000 – are in Waterford and Wexford. The figures were released to Liam Quaide, the Social Democrats spokesperson on mental health and disability, via a parliamentary question. The Cork East TD said there had “understandably” been a focus on “extreme” waiting lists for children and young people, but these figures showed “the crisis in primary care is not confined to children’s services”. [ Child waits 11 years for psychology assessment, another waits nine for occupational therapyOpens in new window ]“Adult services are also carrying extraordinarily long waits. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy account for much of that pressure, but there are also years-long waits in ophthalmology, dietetics, psychology, and speech and language therapy. “Behind these figures are adults waiting for help with mobility, independence, communication, hearing, nutrition, mental health and basic daily functioning.”Quaide, a psychologist who previously worked with the HSE, said recruitment restrictions “continue to compromise” services and called on officials to “urgently set staffing targets ... and undertake comprehensive recruitment”.A spokeswoman said the HSE “regrets that anyone would have to wait to access care”.The HSE is making efforts to remove more than 60,000 people from primary care waiting lists – specifically physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy – by the end of the year, a statement said.In relation to long physiotherapy waiting lists in Waterford and Wexford, the HSE said it regretted people in this region were “experiencing longer waits to access these services”.“The HSE is actively implementing a range of measures aimed at reducing waiting times and improving access to primary care services. “These measures include the recruitment of additional staff, the development of innovative models of care such as telehealth services, and enhanced triage systems designed to ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate treatment pathway as quickly as possible.”The statement said specialised programmes, including a back care programme and osteoarthritis hip and knee pathways, have also been introduced to “support more timely and effective access to physiotherapy treatment”.