Outpatient waiting list surpasses 600,000 for first time

The number of outpatients on the waiting list has surpassed the 600,000 mark for the first time, the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show.

There were 601,362 people on the outpatient waiting list at the end of July, up a substantial 17,000 over the previous month. At the start of the year, just over 553,000 patients were waiting for a hospital appointment.

The Mater hospital in Dublin, University Hospital Waterford, Galway University Hospitals and University Hospital Limerick each have more than 40,000 people on their outpatient waiting lists. Children account for over 46,000 of those waiting for an appointment.

Last month, 80,283 patients were waiting for an inpatient/daycase procedure, up from 66,563 at the start of the year but down 4,000 on June.

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A total of 16,597 inpatients have been languishing on the waiting list for more than 12 months, despite various initiatives to ensure their procedures are done in a timely manner.

Another 34,983 patients were waiting last month for an endoscopy, a reduction of under 1,000 on the previous month.

A total of 819,037 patients are on some form of waiting list monitored by the NTPF; this includes patients who have been given a date for their procedure or who need to be seen after treatment.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all non-urgent hospital work in the spring and although activities have resumed in many parts of the health service, capacity is reduced to about 80 per cent or less due to the requirement for infection control.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association highlighted the impact on individual specialties, including a 25 per cent rise in general surgery lists since the start of the year, 12.4 per cent in orthopaedics and 10.4 per cent in urology.

The increase were not just a result of Covid-19, the IHCA asserted, but demonstrated the impact of years of consultant shortages and underinvestment in capacity across the health system.

“Our health service capacity deficits can and should be addressed immediately,” said IHCA president Dr Donal O’Hanlon.

“Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly’s previous commitment to address the consultant recruitment and retention crisis, and to get more specialists back working in our acute hospitals is key to reducing waiting lists.”