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Lowered reduction targets for end of 2023 dependent on removing record 146,000 patients through ‘validation’ of lists 14,800 people added to three main waiting lists in the first two months of 2023, missing Government reduction target by over 26,000; Consultants criticise lack of ambition of Government’s new Action Plan which lowers previous reduction target of 18% to 10% this year; a 4% reduction was achieved in 2022; Projected cuts in waiting lists are dependent on NTPF removing 146,000 people without any treatment through ‘validation programme’; more than double the validation target of 60,000 in last year’s Action Plan;   885,000 people on some form of public hospital waiting list at end of February; an increase of 300,000 (52%) compared with May 2017 when Sláintecare published;   Latest €443m Action Plan unlikely to meet waiting list targets unless Government addresses public hospital capacity deficits and Consultant vacancies, say Consultants. IHCA President Prof Robert Landers: “The NTPF figures released today confirm our fears that these waiting lists may take a decade or more to get under control without simultaneously resolving the severe capacity deficits in our public hospitals and filling the one in five Consultant posts vacant or filled on a temporary basis.”

Comment by spokesperson for Irish Hospital Consultants Association   

Deficits in hospital capacity and Consultant vacancies hampering the return of planned medical and surgical activity to the level seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, says IHCA 877,600 people on some form of NTPF waiting list at the end of January 2023; 101,000 (+13%) more than in the same month in 2020; Inpatient/day case waiting list at highest level since June 2020, with 83,477 patients awaiting treatment;  Increased volume of activity will only be achieved by addressing the twin deficits of public hospital capacity and a shortage of Consultants. IHCA President Prof Robert Landers: “Consultants are very concerned not enough is being done to increase hospital capacity so patients can be treated as needed.  It is only when capacity is increased and additional Consultants are appointed will we see treatment volumes in public hospitals grow significantly above pre-pandemic levels. That will start to address the backlog of care and bring waiting lists down.”

Cork hospitals among worst performers in the country for waiting lists, says IHCA

Leading Professor at University of Limerick says health service has “taken eye off the ball” Professor Orla Muldoon says emphasis on performance indicators and lack of focus on expanding frontline hospital capacity and resources to care for patients is creating a ‘management class’ in the health service and detracting from treating patients Current corporate management structures a source of frustration for medical professionals who are “not trusted to manage the system” Meanwhile, almost 8 in every 10 Consultants screening positive for burnout as many medical and surgical specialists continue to move abroad to other health services 870,000 people were on some form of hospital waiting list at the end of November, including almost 97,000 children Prof Muldoon: “A vast amount of effort is put into counting Key Performance Indicators. KPIs in the private sector come with the resources to achieve them; when imposed on the public health service, there are no extra resources to deliver the care.” A leading Professor at the University of Limerick has said that the continued trend towards imposing a corporate model in our public health system is compounding the service’s inability to deliver care to patients.

Commenting on the interim report, Vice President of the Irish Hospital Consultant Association (IHCA) and Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Prof Anne Doherty says:

Waiting List Action Plan fails to deliver as almost 900,000 people on hospital waiting lists, 900 patients treated on trolleys and over 900 Consultant posts vacant, says IHCA

Concerns mount among Consultants as Irish hospital services continue to bear brunt of healthcare pressures;  Hospitals could see 1,000 admitted patients being treated on trolleys on a single day in the weeks ahead; As peak of winter illness hits, 51 additional Emergency Medicine Consultant post have yet to be delivered under HSE Winter Plan 2022/23; IHCA: “To move away from this constant wheel of crises, the Government must put in place the capacity expansion that is needed and the HSE must empower hospitals and community services to make decisions and take the actions needed to provide timely and safe care to their patients.”   Today (04 January 2023), the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has expressed its concern over the continued pressures being faced by Ireland’s acute hospital services as extreme levels of overcrowding in our emergency departments and un-safe capacity limits hit record new highs.

52,200 people on NTPF waiting lists in UL Hospital Group and an additional 25,100 waiting for urgent diagnostic scans; Almost 1,600 patients admitted to UHL Emergency Department treated on trolleys last month – the worst November on record – and 17,500 this year;  Consultant recruitment crisis and worsening capacity deficits in region’s hospitals is root cause of delays in providing care, with record 1 in 3 permanent Consultant posts vacant or not filled as needed; At least an additional 302 inpatient beds and 63 day case beds needed by 2036 to address current shortfalls and meet increased patient demand. IHCA President Prof Robert Landers: “The extreme shortage of Consultants and worsening capacity deficits across the UL Hospitals Group are the main contributors to the unacceptable delays in providing care to patients in the Mid-West region.” 

€70 million allocated to Waiting List Action Plan left unspent as one-fifth of the population remain on waiting lists