News

51,059 people already added to the outpatient waiting list this year 151,637 people added to the outpatient waiting list since the Government first took office in May 2016, which is a 36% increase Winter flu likely to increase number of patients on trolleys and further add to waiting lists   Dr Donal O’Hanlon, IHCA President said: “the numbers waiting to see a hospital consultant have increased by an average of over 5,100 additional people per month since the start of this year. The consultant recruitment and retention crisis, with one in five permanent consultant posts now unfilled is a key factor in the long wait times patients face. We need to end this crisis by restoring pay parity for consultants appointed since 2012 in order to fill the large number of permanent consultant posts that are unfilled.”

 

Number of doctors who enrolled on the medical register for the first time in 2018 is at a four year low 40 more specialists withdrew from the register than enrolled for the first time Government’s policy towards new entrant consultants is driving our highly trained doctors and consultants abroad and undermining acute hospital care for patients IHCA President Dr Donal O’Hanlon said: “The Irish health service is not competitive due to the inequality in pay being imposed on consultants appointed since October 2012.”

Potential of a ‘bad’ flu season and a shortage of both Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Hospital Consultants increase risk of reduced quality of care for patients this winter 53,135 additional patients on outpatient lists since Taoiseach first promised talks on consultant recruitment crisis IHCA President Dr. Donal O’Hanlon: “the current position of constant crisis in our hospitals could very quickly move to catastrophe if our acute hospitals experience any additional strains on their already overstretched resources this winter”.

- A doctor is now twice as likely to take his or her own life than a member of the general population

National Children’s Hospital, National Cancer Care, Maternity Strategy, Mental Health Plan, and the Critical Care Programme among those threatened by consultant shortage