AT the end of March there were 2,231 adults and 70 children on active waiting lists at Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH).
These figures, published by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), includes waiting lists for inpatient/day case, GI Scopes and outpatients.
Nationally there are 490,993 on active waiting lists, all of these are waiting longer than the recommended wait times by Sláintecare.
The 2017 Houses of the Oireachtas Sláintecare report recommended maximum wait times of no more than 12 weeks for an inpatient / day case (IPDC) procedure or GI Scope and 10 weeks for a new outpatient (OPD) appointment.
When the figures for LUH are analysed at the end of March they show that of the 2,231 adults on the active waiting list, 363 of these are waiting more than 18 months; 169 are waiting 12 to 18 months; 373 are waiting six to twelve months; 1,326 are waiting up to six months.
Of the 70 children on the active waiting list at LUH eleven of these are waiting more than 18 months; six are waiting 12 to 18 months; 13 are waiting six to twelve months and 39 are waiting up to six months.
The report shows that of the 656 adults awaiting an inpatient/day case for GI Endoscopy at LUH, the majority (647) are waiting up to six months.
In a further breakdown of the figures for LUH highlighting what the waiting times are by specialty at the end of March they show that out of 2,234 patients in this category the highest number – 828 are waiting on general surgery. Just over half of these patients – 433 are waiting up to six months. The remainder – 395 are waiting longer and 131 are waiting more than 18 months for general surgery.
Gynaecology is the next highest specialty listed with 478 patients waiting. The vast majority, 434 are waiting up to six months however, 45 patients are waiting longer with three on the waiting list for more than 18 months.
Urology and Orthopaedics are next at 444 and 415 respectively waiting at the end of March on LUH’s lists. In both specialities there are 201 patients waiting up to six months to be seen.
Urology has 117 patients waiting more than 18 months; 43 waiting 12 to 18 months and 83 waiting six to 12 months. In Orthopaedics there are 111 waiting more than 18 months; 47 waiting 12 to 18 months and 56 waiting six to 12 months.
The 2023 Waiting Action Plan published by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly on March 7 will fund the HSE and NTPF to reduce waiting lists by a further 10 per cent this year as well as continuing to significantly reduce waiting times towards the Sláintecare recommended targets.
Meanwhile the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) at the weekend warned that waiting list reduction targets for 2023 will never be met unless hospital bed occupancy rates are significantly reduced by rapidly delivering extra bed capacity in public hospitals.
IHCA President Professor Robert Landers pointed out that 41,000 appointments and operations cancelled in January and February alone will further increase pressure on the Waiting List Action Plan for 2023 and that 885,600 people were on some form of public hospital waiting list at end of March.
Ireland has among the highest hospital bed occupancy rates in the developed world, well above the recommended maximum occupancy rate of 80-85 per cent and 50 per cent above the EU average of 63.2 per cent.
LUH was not among the ten hospitals in the country which had over 100 per cent occupancy during January and February.
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