New data shows 16,938 ‘hidden’ children waiting for treatment in region’s hospitals
117,000 children nationally now waiting for hospital care
Hospital consultants call for data on the number of children waiting to be published, separate from adult figures
IHCA President Dr. Donal O’Hanlon: “That almost 17,000 children, equivalent to the entire population of Carrigaline or Ballincollig, are waiting for hospital care across the South-South West Hospital Group’s acute public hospital, is hugely worrying.
“The fact that this information is not published on a regular basis does not make the agonising wait for children and their families any less real or less damaging for the children whose healthy development is on hold”.
The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today (Monday) called for “full transparency” on the numbers of children waiting to access treatment in the South-South West Hospital Group’s (SSWHG’s) public hospitals.
The call comes after newly published data revealed that there are now 16,938 children waiting for hospital care in the SSWHG, with the majority, likely, to be waiting to access care at Cork’s main acute public hospitals.
The data was released by the HSE to Fianna Fail’s Health Spokesperson, Deputy Stephen Donnelly last week.
According to the IHCA the data reveals the ‘full extent of the problem’ which children and their families are experiencing across Cork and the wider Munster region in accessing timely hospital care.
Currently, data on the number of children waiting for care at the Children’s Hospital Group, encompassing Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght Hospitals, is published each month. The most recent figures (to end October) showed over 60,000 children waiting for care at these three hospitals.
However, acute public hospitals across Ireland, such as the Cork University Hospital or the Mercy Hospital, do not published stand-alone data on the number of children waiting to access their services. Rather, the monthly data published on number of patients waiting at hospitals such as these does not distinguish between adults and children.
Nationally, excluding the Children’s Hospital Group, there are a further 57,000 children waiting in Ireland’s regions to access public hospital treatment, with almost 17,000 of these on South-South West Hospital Group’s waiting lists.
Adding together both the Children’s Hospitals and regional hospitals, there is now a total of 117,000 children waiting for hospital care.
Yet this figure still does not represent the full picture. It does not include children waiting for hospitals diagnostics such as MRI scans or radiology. The HSE does not currently capture this data.
According to IHCA President, Dr. Donal O’Hanlon:
“The early years in a child’s life are both short and critically important to their lifelong health and development. Our health service is failing them during these essential, formative years.
That almost 17,000 children, equivalent to the entire population of Carrigaline or Ballincollig, are now waiting for hospital care across the region’s acute public hospital, is hugely worrying. The figure also excludes the hundreds of additional Cork children waiting for care at National Children’s Hospitals in Dublin.
The fact that this information is not published on a regular basis does not make the agonising wait for children and their families any less real or less damaging for the children whose healthy development is on hold.
The solution lies in addressing our acute public hospital bed shortages and the ongoing consultant recruitment crisis which are both adding to the long waiting lists faced by our children.
Minister Harris must now commit to publishing data each month on the number of children waiting for hospital care. We cannot meaningful address the impact of tens of thousands of children waiting for care unless there is transparency on the full extent of the problem”.
ENDS.
For information contact:
Lauren Murphy, PR360, 01 6371777/083 801 5917 lauren@pr360.ie
Amanda Glancy, PR360, 01 637 1777/087 2273108 amanda@pr360.ie