Decade of hospital and ED overcrowding continues to drive up unacceptable waiting lists

• 893,600 people on some form of NTPF waiting list; and a further 250,000 people waiting for diagnostic scans;
• Hospital cancellations could exceed 250,000 this year if rate continues; with 85,000 operations and appointments already cancelled to end of April;
• ED attendances increased by 461,000 (38%) over the past decade, with average wait times now approaching 12 hours – double the target in 2013; 
• It is the first time in six months that the number of people on the outpatient waiting list has totalled over 600,000;
• IHCA President Prof Robert Landers: “The Minister for Health recently announced a rapid build programme to deliver 1,500 additional beds in acute public hospitals to be opened this year and in 2024. The Government needs to commit the promised €1 billion capital budget for the additional capacity urgently.”

Patients have been subjected to a decade of overcrowding in our emergency departments (EDs) which continues to drive up waiting lists for hospital treatment and negatively impact patient outcomes, Consultants have warned.

Commenting on the latest waiting list figures for the end May, released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) today (Friday 9 June 2023), the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) said interventions over the past decade designed to reduce long waits in EDs and waiting times for treatment have been “ineffective” as the lack of adequate hospital capacity to meet demand has never been properly addressed.

The latest figures confirm there are 893,600 people on some form of NTPF waiting list, including 84,450 awaiting an inpatient or day case procedure and almost 600,900 people waiting for an outpatient appointment – 233,000 (+63%) more than a decade ago.¹ It is the first time in six months that the number of people on the outpatient waiting list has totalled over 600,000.

In addition, 208,276 are on a myriad of other hospital waiting lists for planned procedures, pre-admissions or because their appointments or operations have been suspended. A further 250,021 people are waiting for an essential diagnostic scan such as an MRI, CT or ultrasounds – bringing the total on hospital waiting lists to over 1.1 million.²

The IHCA said patients will unfortunately continue to languish on trolleys and unacceptable waiting lists, and suffer poorer outcomes as a result, until the Government implements credible, funded, time-bound plans which address the growing demand for care by rapidly increasing the number acute hospital, step-down and rehabilitation beds, and fills the 900 permanent Consultant posts that are vacant or filled on a temporary basis and increases consultant numbers further as needed.

Commenting on today’s waiting lists, IHCA President Professor Robert Landers said:

“The Minister for Health recently announced a rapid build programme aimed to deliver 1,500 additional beds in acute public hospitals to be opened this year and in 2024. However, the Department of Health has yet to confirm whether or not it has secured the €1 billion capital budget for this additional capacity. 

“Daily there are around 550 patients which Consultants have clinically discharged from hospital, but who are waiting often months for step-down care to be arranged, while a similar number of admitted patients are being treated on a trolley while awaiting a bed.

“The Government also needs to significantly increase the number of step-down and rehabilitation beds and provide more home care packages, to enable the timely transfer of already clinically discharged patients from hospitals.”

ENDS
Notes to editors: 
1.    There were 367,783 on the outpatient waiting list in May 2013. Analysis based on latest NTFP data as at end of May 2023: https://www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm. 
2.    Dáil PQ response from Minister Stephen Donnelly to Deputy David Cullinane, 4 May 2023: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2023-05-04/249/#pq_249.
 
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