James Cox
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has expressed "dismay that the Government is on course to miss waiting list reduction targets for 2022 by a significant margin".
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly launched the €350 million Waiting List Action Plan for 2022 in February, which committed to reducing active waiting lists for acute scheduled care by 18 per cent (more than 132,00) by the end of this year.
However, figures show that by the end of November the numbers of those waiting for treatment will have only dropped by 1.6 per cent (fewer than 11,500).
The latest National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) figures confirm that the number of people on the three main waiting lists decreased from 720,056 at the start of 2022 to 708,590 at the end of November, "nowhere near the planned 18 per cent reduction".
Hospital waiting lists
Overall, a total of 887,500 people were on some form of hospital waiting list at the end of November, including almost 97,000 children.
When the additional 243,000 people awaiting CTs, MRIs or ultrasounds nationally are added, the total number awaiting hospital care is over 1.1 million – or more than one-fifth of the entire population.
Analysis from the IHCA shows that the HSE is now more than 120,800 outpatient appointments and procedures away from meeting the 18 per cent reduction targets for the end of this year, including 115,100 outpatient appointments and around 5,700 inpatient or day case procedures and GI scopes.
Consultants have raised their concerns about Government priorities "as it was also recently revealed that as much as €70 million – or almost one-third of the €200 million allocated to the ‘Access to Care Fund’ – earmarked to reduce waiting lists this year is expected to be left unspent".
'Unacceptably long waiting lists'
The IHCA said the extreme shortage of consultants due to the difficulty in filling permanent consultant posts and decade long capacity deficits are the "root causes of these unacceptably long waiting lists".
IHCA President Professor Robert Landers said that filling the over 900 vacant consultant posts is one target which simply cannot be missed.
“As Consultants, we need and want sustainable solutions to provide care to the 1.1 million people awaiting essential diagnostics or treatments in our hospitals. Increases in waiting times for planned procedures can mean patients’ conditions may significantly deteriorate, hampering their quality of life and potentially their future health outcomes.
“However, it is clear from these latest figures that the Government continues to fall short on actions and promises, leaving hospitals and Consultants unable to provide the timely access to care our patients need and deserve.
“With a record 918 permanent Consultant posts nationally either vacant or filled on a temporary or agency basis, an increase of 190 unfilled Consultant posts (+26 per cent) in past two years, it is imperative that all vacant Consultant posts are filled, and overall numbers are increased to at least the EU average if we are to effectively address the record hospital waiting lists.
“Failure to do this will mean it could take decades to tackle our waiting lists.”
