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131,000 people waiting to see a Consultant in the South/South-West Hospital Group in May - an increase of 37% or 35,000 additional people in six years; 69,000 people are on outpatient waiting lists in Cork hospitals, a fifth more (+11,000) than in 2015; Inpatient and day-case numbers waiting have increased by 17% in SSWHG and by 42% in Cork Hospitals since 2015;  30-fold increase in number of patients waiting longer than a year for treatment in past 9 years;  Severe shortage of hospital consultants in Cork and SSWHG is main contributor to the unacceptable delays and growing waiting lists; around 1 in 5 permanent consultant posts in the SSWHG region are unfilled; Recruitment crisis exacerbated by current proposals for a new consultant contract. IHCA President Prof Alan Irvine: “The severe shortage of hospital consultants in our public health service in Cork and the southern region is the main contributor to the unacceptable delays in providing care to patients. These growing waiting lists are not simply a result of Covid-19 but demonstrate the impact of years of consultant shortages and underinvestment in capacity across public hospitals in the region.”   

Impact of consultant shortages a direct cause of growth in children’s waiting lists as over 100,000 wait for essential care and almost 40,000 on lists longer than a year.   “An issue existing prior to and only made worse by the pandemic, our health system is failing the most vulnerable in Irish society due to the state’s inability to address the chronic consultant recruitment and retention crisis” – Prof Alan Irvine, President, IHCA.  95,321 children on some form of NTPF waiting list to be treated or seen by a consultant; 1 in 9 of all those waiting for care; Over 100,000 children waiting for hospital treatment as additional 8,000 awaiting diagnostic scans not included in NTPF waiting lists; 82,000 children on hospital outpatient waiting lists with over 37,000 (45%) waiting longer than a year. Further 7,700 children on Inpatient/Day Case waiting list, with more than 1 in 3 waiting long than a year for hospital treatment. New approach needed to address record waiting lists as 1 in 5 permanent consultant posts remain vacant and Government continues to provide no meaningful solution.   

Consultant medical oncologist Professor Seamus O’Reilly says pandemic has “enormous implications” for “time-dependent” cancer care; Health service will struggle to cope with backlog of patients without hiring additional oncologists and other medical specialists; 1 in 5 Hospital Consultant posts are not filled as needed; while an additional 73 consultant oncologists will be needed over the next 7 years to meet demand on services;  Prof O’Reilly says cancer diagnoses were increasing at a rate of 5% a year even before the pandemic; Irish Hospital Consultants Association President: “We simply must appoint additional consultants. Government action now will prevent the current pandemic healthcare crisis drawing out for the rest of the decade.”

Record 883,727 people now on some form of NTPF waiting list; Department of Health unit established to improve access to care and reduce wait times fails to stem escalating hospital waiting list crisis over the last three and a half years;  21,420 patients now waiting longer than one year for essential hospital treatment;  Crisis in unscheduled care returns with highest number of patients treated on trolleys since start of pandemic, causing further cancellation of scheduled care; Government must work with consultant representatives to fill the one in five permanent consultant posts that are vacant to bring waiting lists down. IHCA President Professor Alan Irvine: “By any standards this is a very disappointing performance. The Department of Health’s unit should be an imaginative solution-focussed hub and incubator for new ideas. This requires shared leadership and collaborative engagement with hospital consultants who provide the medical and surgical care and their representatives to ensure an improved public hospital service for the Irish people.”

Ireland’s mental health services are struggling with 30% of permanent consultant psychiatrist posts vacant and just 1,000 acute adult mental health beds 

Commenting on today’s announcement concerning the proposed development of Major Trauma Services, Irish Hospital Consultants Association President, Prof Alan Irvine, said:

Acute hospital figures at tipping point - as Covid restrictions and vaccine roll out strive to reduce daily case numbers, non-Covid care waiting lists skyrocket.  Hospital Consultants call for Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD to uphold his commitment to address root cause of 728 vacant consultant posts and subsequent record waiting lists.  Lack of resolution to the consultant recruitment and retention crisis has contributed to some hospitals experiencing a 100% increase in inpatient waiting lists in the last year alone and a total of 881,621 now waiting for care, nationally.  IHCA President Prof Alan Irvine: “Last October, the IHCA welcomed the ‘unambiguous commitment’ by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD to address the root causes of Ireland’s chronic consultant recruitment and retention crisis, including the restoration of full pay parity. Failure to uphold that commitment and to engage in meaningful discussions with hospital consultants have contributed to an addition of 38,258 people to hospital waiting lists in the period since. While the Minister has worked to reduce Covid sickness and death since October, he and his officials must look to address the unacceptable delays in providing care to non-Covid patients and ever-growing waiting lists.”

Commenting on today’s government announcement of additional medical intern posts and postgraduate training places, Irish Hospital Consultants Association President, Prof Alan Irvine, said:

876,968 people now on some form of NTPF waiting list;  Large increases in outpatient waiting lists for General surgery (34%, +11,412), Orthopaedics (17%, +10,951), Gynaecology (13%, +3,622) and Dermatology (12%, +4,888); 56% increase in the number of patients waiting for hospital pain relief treatment since pandemic began; over 1,700 now waiting longer than a year for treatment – more than a three-fold increase since February 2020; While 153,000 fewer outpatient public hospital appointments now expected in 2021 through National Service Plan;  Lack of a plan to fill over 700 permanent consultant posts. IHCA President Prof Alan Irvine: “Today’s NTPF waiting list figures, which confirm almost 877,000 people are now on some form of NTPF waiting list, again highlight the impact of hospital consultant shortages and capacity constraints on those waiting for an outpatient appointment and related treatment. Timely access to care is vital in ensuring effective treatment and care for patients.” 

IHCA analysis of HSE Service Plan for 2021 points to 200,000 fewer patient appointments this year