There’s been a 70% increase in the number of people facing long waits for outpatient appointments at the region’s main hospital in the past year.
The latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show there were almost 8,700 waiting a year and a half to see a consultant at University Hospital Limerick in August, up from just over 5,100 in the same month in 2018.
Ennis General Hospital has also seen a jump in numbers.
The latest NTPF figures show 37,176 people were waiting for outpatient appointments at University Hospital Limerick at the end of August, a 26% rise on the same month last year.
Of those, 8,694 were waiting over a year and a half, which is an annual increase of more than 70%.
The ENT Department had the highest waiting lists, with numbers more than doubling in the space of a year, to more than 1,300.
At Ennis General Hospital, there was also a rise in waits for outpatients appointments, from just over 1,400 in August 2018 to 1,701 last month, though the numbers waiting 18 months or more dropped by 31.
The UL Hospitals Group says the figures are in line with expectations and reflect national policy announced by the Minister for Health, where a focus would initially be placed on those waiting longest for inpatient and day case procedures.
New consultant surgeons in ENT and orthopaedics have recently taken up post and the appointment of two new consultant orthopaedic surgeons to the group has been approved.
The Ul Hospital Group says this will help meet the significant demand for this specialty.
The opening of the new cataract only theatre in Nenagh Hospital is also said to be having a knock-on effect in helping reduce OPD wait times in ophthalmology.
Statement from the UL Hospitals Group
THE August 2019 National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) figures for UL Hospitals Group and nationally are in line with expectations. They reflect national policy as announced by the Minister for Health where a focus would initially be placed on those waiting longest for inpatient and day case procedures.
In University Hospital Limerick (UHL) at the end of August 2019, the total number of patients waiting for inpatient/day case procedures had decreased by 27% on those recorded 12 months previously. Of those people waiting longer than 12 months for inpatient/day case procedures, the decrease was approximately 45%.
In relation to people waiting for outpatient appointments at UHL over the 12-month period from end-of-August 2018 to end-of-August 2019, there was an overall increase of 26% (from 29,413 to 37,176). During the same period, the number of patients waiting for an OPD appointment for longer than 12 months increased by approximately 58.8% to 14,376.
It should be noted that of the 37,176 patients on the outpatients waiting list at University Hospital Limerick, almost two thirds (61% or 22,800 patients) have been waiting for less than 12 months for an OPD appointment.
These numbers should also be seen in the context of almost 150,000 outpatient attendances in UHL and almost 217,000 attendances across the Group in 2018.
This is not to minimise in any way the anxiety experienced by patients waiting for appointments. All patients who are waiting for appointments are prioritised according to clinical need with urgent cases being the highest priority. Beyond this, UL Hospitals Group will continue to focus on seeing and treating those who have been waiting the longest. On an average day, 857 patients will be seen at outpatient clinics across the Group.
Among the reasons for the overall increase for the Group is the significant growth in demand; an increase in the number of urgent referrals in some specialties, such as ENT and Orthopaedics, and a shortage of consultants in other specialties.
New consultant surgeons in ENT and orthopaedics have recently taken up post. And approval has recently been secured to recruit two new consultant orthopaedic surgeons to the Group. This will help meet the significant demand for this specialty. In addition, the opening of the new cataract only theatre in Nenagh Hospital is having a knock-on effect in helping reduce OPD wait times in ophthalmology.
UL Hospitals Group works on an ongoing basis to maximise the efficiency of its inpatient and outpatient services across the group. Many new consultants appointed will have sessional commitments to Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s. Work is underway to enhance the scope of outpatient services in Ennis, with a lease having been signed, and fit-out commenced on the new outpatients structure, which is scheduled to open next Autumn.
