37% Jump In Long Term Outpatient Appointment Waits At UHL

Photo © Pat Flynn

There’s been a 37% increase in the number of people waiting a year and a half, or more, for an outpatient appointment at the region’s main hospital, in the past 12 months.

The National Treatment Purchase Fund’s monthly figures reveal that the overall rise in the waiting lists, meanwhile, is just 3%.

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Last month, 29,413 people were awaiting outpatient appointments at UHL, down from 30,188 a month previous but still a jump of 650 in a year.

Perhaps more worryingly was the long-term waits facing outpatients – with 5,104 waiting 18 months or more in August, versus 3,710 a year ago, a 37% increase.

With regards to inpatients, there was a slight reduction of 85 people waiting for appointments at the Dooradoyle facility last month and is also an annual reduction of 200.

That same figure at Ennis General, meanwhile, has risen by over a hundred over the past 12 months.

The Taoiseach has hit out at the NTPF figures, saying that while the numbers on waiting lists are too high, it’s his belief that these statistics include double counting.