News

Analysis suggests Government set to miss reduction targets by as much as 18%, unless corrective action taken Three main waiting lists may increase by over 74,700 by end of 2024 if current trends continue; an increase of 11% compared with the start of the year; Analysis suggested 14% of the entire population, over 746,000 people, could be waiting for outpatient appointments, inpatient and day case treatment or GI scopes by the end of December; a 18% shortfall against Government waiting list targets; Move this week to cancel essential scheduled care across Mid-West region will exacerbate wait times and could have severe knock-on consequences for patient health outcomes; A record 913,000 people now on some form of public hospital waiting list;  IHCA President Prof Gabrielle Colleran: “The latest waiting list figures have confirmed what many patients in this country already knew far too well; that the Government’s Action Plans have failed to significantly reduce waiting lists, despite millions being spent on the initiatives.” New figures published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) today (Friday 9 August 2024) confirm that targets to reduce waiting lists by 6% this year are increasingly unlikely to be met, according to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA).

Consultants describe the decision as one of the starkest developments in Irish healthcare in recent times “De-escalation amounts to dereliction” as decision to cancel scheduled care across Mid-West hospitals will have severe consequences for patient health outcomes, and minimal impact on overcrowding and waiting lists; Severe overcrowding and persistent waiting lists can only be addressed by long term and sustainable resourcing, alongside the opening of new beds; Vice President of the IHCA, Mr Colin Peirce: “This decision, described by HSE as measures to ‘de-escalate’, effectively amounts to a dereliction of hospitals across the Mid-West and those who depend upon them.” The Irish Hospital Consultant Association (IHCA) has described the HSE’s cancellation of all scheduled care – elective surgeries, endoscopies and outpatient appointments – for an indefinite period across the University of Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG), as “unbelievable, unnecessary, and an abandonment of the people of the Mid-West”.  

Response from the Irish Hospital Consultant Association (IHCA) to the publication of the Mental Health Bill 2024.

Professor Gabrielle Colleran began her career in medicine in 2005 and now specialises in Paediatric Radiology. Prof Colleran to focus on pressing the government to reduce waiting times and place an emphasis on the green transition in healthcare.   Mater Hospital Consultant Prof Anne Doherty re-elected as Vice President, alongside newly elected Vice President Mr Colin Peirce, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon at University Hospital Limerick.  Dr Áine Burke, Consultant Haematologist at Sligo University Hospital, elected new Membership Secretary; Dr Vincent Wall, Consultant Anaesthesiologist at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork, takes up Treasurer role.  The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has appointed Professor Gabrielle Colleran as President. Professor Colleran will shape the IHCA’s agenda by focusing on delivering additional clinical capacity and emphasising the importance of the green transition in healthcare.    Prof Colleran is a distinguished Clinical Associate Professor in Paediatrics at Trinity College Dublin and Assistant Clinical Professor in Women's and Children's Health at the UCD School of Medicine. She leads the Radiology Department at the National Maternity Hospital and is the Radiology Lead for the National Fetal MRI programme.    A former Vice President of the IHCA, Prof Colleran takes over the presidency from Prof Rob Landers, Consultant Histopathologist at University Hospital Waterford.    Prof Colleran graduated with First Class Honours from NUI Galway in 2005 and completed her Radiology training at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, before taking up a Paediatric Radiology fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, where she served as Chief Fellow in Paediatric Radiology.    With over 16 years of medical experience, including 11 years as a Radiologist and 5 years as a Consultant Paediatric Radiologist, Prof Colleran has published nearly 40 peer-reviewed research works. She is noted for her research on breast cancer predisposition genetics and paediatric imaging techniques.    Prof Colleran is the Co-Chair of the Fetal Taskforce of the European Society of Paediatric Radiology and has received HSE-SPARK grant funding for her research on patient-centred MRIs for autistic children. She is also a member of several key committees and working groups within the Faculty of Radiologists and the Neuroimaging working group within the Neonatal and Children's Brain Consortium Ireland.    Known for her dedication to education and training, Prof. Colleran has received multiple teaching awards, including from Harvard Medical School. She is passionate about improving healthcare access and quality, advocating for patients and healthcare staff.  Living in Dublin with her family, Prof. Colleran enjoys cycling, sea swimming, and yoga. Her academic interests include Fetal and Neuro MR, contrast ultrasound, medical education, and healthcare capacity improvement.    Speaking following her appointment Prof Colleran said: “It is a great honour and privilege to be appointed President of the IHCA during such a transformative period in Irish healthcare. I will seek to advocate for all hospital Consultants in Ireland in a manner which will also aim to deliver profound benefits for Irish patients as a whole. As IHCA President, I will work to advocate for a serious reduction in waiting times for patients, aiming for a six-week maximum. It is simply unacceptable to our membership that in a prosperous, dynamic country, that hundreds of thousands of our citizens are confined to lengthy waiting times which lead to compounded negative outcomes.     “There has been some progress made in recent years, but we also need to take into account the legacy of historic underinvestment in care in this country which presents a series of ongoing challenges to deliver the necessary level of productivity within the system.    “Furthermore, healthcare is one of the leading sources of carbon emission on earth and every health system in the world must work to reduce emissions without compromising patient care. We aim to make the case to government for sensible reductions in energy consumption and a reduction in single-use items where clinically appropriate across the public system.”    Prof Colleran hopes to serve a full two-year term as President, joined by her two Vice Presidents: Prof Anne Doherty, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist at the Mater Hospital in Dublin, who continues in the role; and newly elected Vice President Mr Colin Peirce, Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon at the University Hospital Limerick. Also newly elected by the Association’s National Council were Membership Secretary Dr Áine Burke, Consultant Haematologist at Sligo University Hospital, and Treasurer Dr Vincent Wall, Consultant Anaesthesiologist at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork. 

Statement from the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) following the approval of legislation on deferred maternity leave:    “We welcome the Government’s decision to approve the drafting of a Maternity Protection (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provision Bill, which will allow women undergoing treatment for serious illnesses to postpone their maternity leave by up to 52 weeks. This legislation is a positive change, allowing those new mothers faced with difficult diagnoses to focus on their vital treatment, and then enjoy quality time with their newborns.    “The Association welcomes changes towards an effective and just healthcare system in a fair society, in which a patient’s full circumstances are taken into account and their dignity maintained when considering the timing of maternity leave.  

Consultants says mid-point of 2024 Action Plan shows need for ‘actions rather than words’, as Government set to significantly miss end of year targets Record 911,500 people on some form of public hospital waiting list; the highest it has ever been; surpassing previous record of 910,00 set in August 2022; Almost 40,400 added to three main waiting lists in the first half of 2023, missing Government reduction target by 60,000; 88,815 patients now waiting for inpatient or day case procedures – the highest ever recorded figure for those awaiting hospital treatment; €437m Waiting List Action Plan unlikely to meet target of reducing waiting lists by 39,300 (6%) by end of 2024;   IHCA Vice President Prof Anne Doherty: “The 2024 Waiting List Action Plan has reached its halfway point but is nowhere near achieving the reduction targets set for the end of the year. The truth is, commitment on reducing waiting lists needs to be measured by actions, not promises. The Government needs to urgently increase public hospital capacity to treat the increasing number of patients on waiting lists.” The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today (Friday 12 July 2024) urged the Government to take the necessary actions to follow through on their promises to significantly increase public hospital capacity in order to address waiting lists.

Unpublished HSE report identifies shortfall of 830 acute psychiatric inpatient beds nationally; Consultants say true deficit may be as high as 1,800 beds; IHCA Vice President Prof Anne Doherty: “With only 23.8 adult acute mental health beds per 100,000 population in public approved centres in Ireland, compared to an EU average of 73 beds, inpatient psychiatric care is now reserved only for the ‘seriously ill’.” An immediate shortfall of 830 acute psychiatric inpatient beds against recommended levels has been identified in a new report from the HSE.

Up to €3.3bn required to deliver 3,000 additional hospital beds by 2031; with further €3bn estimated for four new elective hospitals; Over 907,000 people on some form of NTPF waiting list; up over 323,000 (55%) since publication of Sláintecare Report in May 2017; A minimum of 5,000 additional public hospital beds are needed by 2031 – or around 700 extra hospital beds each year for the next seven years, say Consultants; IHCA President Prof Rob Landers: “Until these pledges on hospital capacity become reality, patients will continue to suffer from delayed care on trolleys in our overcrowded Emergency Departments and increasing waiting times for outpatient appointments and hospital treatment that will impact on their outcomes.”

Commenting on the Government’s new target of an additional 3,000 beds by 2031, the IHCA said:     “In response to repeated, broken promises on hospital beds, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) remains cautious regarding pronouncements of this nature, particularly as the delivery of additional inpatient beds is happening at too slow a pace.   “In April 2023, the IHCA cautiously welcomed the Minister for Health’s announcement of a rapid build programme to open 1,500 additional public hospital beds across 15 acute public hospital sites.[1] However, over a year on from this and we have yet to see any of these beds come on stream. We now seek clarification as to how the 1,541 beds due by the end of 2028 and the 2,997 beds due by 2031 announced today differ from those already promised in 2023, and urge the Government to provide the promised €1 billion capital budget to open these beds as indicated without delay.   “Additionally, the figure of 3,000 beds falls well short of the needs which will face the country by 2031.[2] That the Minister is publicly acknowledging that our bed capacity is way behind what is needed is notable in and of itself.   “The urgency of expanding hospital capacity is further reinforced by the Minister’s acknowledgement that the 2018 Capacity Review – which proposed an increase of just 2,600 acute public beds by 2031 – “lowballed” the hospital capacity needs. In the 6 years since the 2018 Capacity Review and National Development Plan, which committed to open 260 hospital beds per annum, only 1,182 additional beds have been added. This is almost a quarter (23%) behind the commitment.   “In addition, just two of the promised six national surgical hubs are likely to be open by the end of year, with the four elective hospitals not due to receive their first patients before 2027 at the earliest.   “While announcements of new hospital beds may be politically expedient in a year in which elections grow closer, it does nothing to address the chronic capacity shortages which are preventing the delivery of timely care across the country. At some point, the Government is going to need to start delivering on their promises to deliver, rather than kicking the can down the road, while the problem continues to grow.    “To fully address the chronic lack of capacity, Government must stay focused on delivering the required beds, to reduce our bed occupancy rates, which are among the highest in the developed world at 95%, address the increased numbers of admitted patients being treated on trolleys, and reduce the cancellation of appointments and waiting lists.”   ENDS   For information: Darragh Duncan, FINN Partners, daragh.duncan@finnpartners.com / 085 121 5011

Consultant Psychiatrist says access to community services crucial as post-Covid mental health issues rise amongst young people; Around 3,760 children and adolescents awaiting an appointment with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service – a 62% increase compared with pre-pandemic levels;  New HSE data obtained by IHCA confirms 28% of Consultant Psychiatry posts are vacant or filled on a temporary basis; more than 1 in 3 CAMHS Psychiatry posts not filled as needed; There has been a worsening in children’s mental health which has been exacerbated by Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns; Surge in referrals and an increase in very sick young people, particularly those with eating disorders, self-harm and suicidality; Dr Elaine Lockhart: “Lockdowns really removed children from their usual routine, structure and predictability. They couldn’t meet friends and access activities and that triggered quite an increase in those seeking care.” A leading Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist says children and young people need better access to mental health services, particularly within their own communities.