More than 200,000 people on therapy waiting lists, figures show

More than 200,000 people are on waiting lists for therapies such as physiotherapy, dietetics or speech and language therapy, according to new figures.

Unlike hospital waiting lists, therapy waiting lists are not published regularly and attract little attention.

However, figures obtained by Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane show 201,149 people were on these lists at the end of the first quarter of this year. More than 60,000 of these have been on the lists for more than a year.

The people on these lists are waiting for a diverse range of services, from treatment of muscle pain to hearing issues, ingrown toenails to delays in speech development. Many who can afford it are forced to get assessment or treatment in the private sector due to the long delays in being seen publicly.

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[ One-quarter of State’s population on health waiting lists ]

Those on the occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, and physiotherapy lists are there seeking an initial assessment; if successful, they will then be placed on another list for actual therapy.

The longest therapy list is for physiotherapy, with 59,366 waiting for an additional assessment. Some 12,839 have been waiting for more than a year.

A total of 1,580 children and 3,880 over-65s have been waiting for physiotherapy assessment for more than a year.

Podiatry has the greatest proportion of long waiters; of 7,235 patients waiting for treatment, more than half (3,845) have been on the list for more than 12 months.

According to the Health Service Executive, Covid-19 has posed “significant challenges” for many service areas, including therapies, in the first three months of the year. “In light of these challenges, the HSE has had to reassess and reprioritise its operation of community therapy services nationally, to ensure that the assessed needs of those clients with the highest priority are met.”

Mr Cullinane said the figures show how much pressure the community healthcare system is under. He said the main driver of delays is widespread staffing shortages.

“We simply do not have enough occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, and other allied health and social care professionals to see the volume of patients. A third of posts in children’s disability teams are vacant, for example.”

A total of 31,722 people are awaiting for assessment for occupational therapy, 8,583 of them for more than a year.

Some 5,333 children and 2,590 over-65s have been waiting for occupational therapy assessment for more than a year.

There are 29,891 people waiting for dietetics treatment, including 12,721 who have been waiting at least 12 months.

There are also 18,091 people waiting for speech and language assessment, 2,281 for more than 12 years.

Mr Cullinane called for a “major step change” in workforce planning so that far more professionals “across the board” are trained.

“We also need to be doing far more to address issues which are pushing many graduates into the private sector, and to understand why many graduates go there instead of the HSE.”

The Government needs to look at “short-term options” for treating people who cannot afford to go private, he added.

The audiology waiting list extends to 17,747 people, including 4,825 long waiters. Some 20,437 people are waiting for ophthalmology treatment, of which 9,425 are on the list for more than 12 months.

The HSE said 12,433 people are waiting for psychology treatment, including 4,681 long waiters. The vast majority of these — 4,069 — are children.

Its response to Mr Cullinane also listed 4,137 young people waiting for child and adolescent health services (Camhs), of which 386 have been waiting for at least 12 months.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who has acknowledged waiting lists for accessing therapy services are unacceptably long in some parts of the country, last year promised to recruit 2,000 physiotherapists, psychologists and other specialists for community health networks.

Number of people who have been waiting for more than 12 months

Physiotherapy: 12,839

Dietetics treatment: 12,721

Ophthalmology: 9,425

Occupational therapy: 8,583

Audiology: 4,825

Psychology: 4,681

Podiatry: 3,845

Speech and language therapy: 2,281