Hospital crisis impacts on most vulnerable as child waiting lists surge
1 in 12 children are on some form of hospital waiting list due to growing Consultant vacancies and worsening capacity deficits, says IHCA
98,000 children on some form of NTPF waiting list; more than 1 in 4 (27,000) waiting longer than a year for treatment or assessment in public hospitals, due to capacity deficits and an extreme shortage of Consultants;- Additional 8,000 children awaiting diagnostic scans at the three Dublin children’s hospitals not included in NTPF waiting lists;
- 21 additional children (+9%) added to waiting lists for scoliosis related surgeries since start of the year;
- Record 918 permanent Consultant posts not filled as needed at end of September, 23% of the total approved posts; an increase of 190 unfilled Consultant posts (+26%) in past two years;
- New Consultant contract must provide attractive working conditions to persuade Irish trained specialists to return home from abroad, fill the vacant Consultant posts and address unacceptable waiting lists.
- IHCA President Prof Robert Landers: “The monthly NTPF figures have recorded 98,000 children on waiting lists for hospital care, with more than one in four of these children waiting longer than a year to be treated or assessed in public hospitals due to capacity deficits and an extreme shortage of Consultants. This is resulting in thousands of children not getting the care they need in a timely way, and the real possibility that they will suffer health and developmental issues that could have been reversed or mitigated against if only they were seen in time.”
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today (Friday, 11 November 2022) expressed its extreme concern at the number of children now waiting for an appointment to be treated or assessed in public hospitals.
The warning from Consultants comes as the latest National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) figures released today reveal that 897,300 people were on some form of hospital waiting list at the end of October, including over 97,700 children.1
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 the unacceptably long child waiting lists. More than one in four (27,100 or 28%) of those children are waiting longer than a year for treatment or assessment by a hospital Consultant.
Despite the Government’s €350 million Waiting List Action Plan2, which set a target to reduce waiting lists by 18% by the end of the year, the number of children on NTPF waiting lists has actually increased by 1,660 (2%) since the start of 2022.
Furthermore, the NTPF figures fail to provide an accurate picture of the scale of the number of children waiting for care, as hospital diagnostics are not included in the data. When the additional 8,018 children awaiting CTs, MRIs or ultrasounds at the three Dublin paediatric hospitals are added,3 the total number awaiting care is over 105,700 – or 1 in 12 children in the country.
The Association has warned that waiting lists and waiting times are expected to lengthen further over the coming months, as the huge increase in paediatric presentations to Emergency Departments at CHI at Temple Street, Crumlin, Connolly and Tallaght, currently averaging at 600 a day, result in the cancellation of outpatient appointments and essential scheduled care. Already CHI confirmed this week4 there are 266 children on active and suspended waiting lists for scoliosis related surgeries as of 4th November – an increase of 21 additional children (+9%) since the start of the year.5
Consultants say increases in waiting times for planned procedures can mean children’s conditions may significantly deteriorate, hampering their development and quality of life and potentially their future health outcomes.
The latest increases in waiting lists come as new data reveals the number of unfilled permanent Consultant posts across the country has risen to a record 918. HSE figures, analysed by the IHCA, confirm that as of 26th September, a total of 413 permanent Consultant posts were filled by temporary/locum or agency staff.6 In addition, 505 permanent Consultants posts were totally vacant as at 30th September7 – giving a total of 918 permanent Consultant posts not filled as needed.
This is the highest Consultant vacancy rate ever and an increase of an additional 190 permanent Consultant posts vacant or filled on a temporary basis over the past two years, or a growth of 26%.8
Commenting on today’s waiting lists, IHCA President Professor Robert Landers, said:
“The monthly NTPF figures have recorded 98,000 children on waiting lists for hospital care, with more than one in four of these children waiting longer than a year to be treated or assessed in public hospitals due to capacity deficits and an extreme shortage of Consultants. This is resulting in thousands of children not getting the care they need in a timely way, and the real possibility that they will suffer health and developmental issues that could have been reversed or mitigated against if only they were seen in time.
“Every single number is an individual child who could be experiencing pain, and a family that may be suffering psychological distress at not knowing when their child will be able to receive treatment. This is a wholly unacceptable situation.
“Cancelling scheduled care for children and adults has become a go-to solution over successive winters, but this simply isn’t sustainable with over 897,000 people on a hospital waiting list.
“As Consultants, we need and want sustainable solutions to help alleviate this distress and provide the care these children so desperately need. However, we have a chronic recruitment and retention crisis that is not being addressed urgently enough. This is evident from the fact that a record 918 approved Consultant posts nationally are either absolutely vacant or filled on a temporary or agency basis.
“It is imperative these vacant Consultant posts are filled if we are to effectively address the record hospital waiting lists. To achieve that, the Government must reach an agreement with the Association on a new Consultant contract that is attractive for our existing Consultants, our Consultants in training and the new medical talent we need to attract into permanent posts.”
ENDS
Headshot of Prof Robert Landers, IHCA President, available to download here
Notes:
1. Latest NTFP data as at end October 2022: https://www.ntpf.ie/home/nwld.htm
2. 2022 Waiting List Action Plan, 25 February 2022: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/323b5-the-2022-waiting-list-action-plan/
3. Dáil PQ response from Minister Stephen Donnelly to Deputy John Lahart, 13 October 2022: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2022-10-13/395/?highlight%5B0%5D=waiting
4. CHI update on scoliosis related surgeries for WE 4 November 2022: https://childrenshealthireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bi-weekly-Newsletter-Update-on-Scoliosis-Related-Surgeries-04.11.2022.pdf
5. CHI PQ response to Deputy Mairéad Farrell, 19 January 2022: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/personalpq/pq/2022-pq-responses/january-2022/pq-1641-22-mairead-farrell.pdf
6. HSE PQ response to Deputy David Cullinane, 3 October 2022: https://www.hse.ie/eng/about/personalpq/pq/2022-pq-responses/september-2022/pq-44490-22-david-cullinane.pdf
7. HSE Medical Consultant Workforce as at 30 September 2022: https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/leadership-education-development/met/consultantapplications/rep1/consultant-post-matching-report-qtr-3-report-2022.pdf
8. There were 728 permanent Consultant posts vacant or filled on a temporary, locum or agency basis as at 4 November 2020: HSE NDTP response to IHCA, 4 November 2020: https://www.ihca.ie/_fileupload/NDTP%20response%20to%20IHCA%20on%20Consultant%20Establishment%20-%20Vacancies%20and%20tenures%20Nov%202020(1).pdf