There’s been a 52% jump in the number of people waiting a year and a half or more on both inpatient and outpatient appointments at the region’s main hospital.
Latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show that, the end of November, there was a total of 33,884 patients awaiting appointments at University Hospital Limerick.
According to the NTPF, there’s been a monthly jump of 749 in the number of patients awaiting appointments of varying lengths at UHL.
The total figure of 33,884 is, however, a rise of almost a thousand on this time last year.
Waits for inpatient appointments at the Dooradoyle facility did ease by some 272 in the past 12 months, marking a 10% drop, but long-term waits for the same rose from 142 in November of last year to 207 last month.
But once again, it was the outpatient appointments which showed the most striking rises.
In November of last year, 3,959 people were waiting 18 months or more on an outpatient appointment at UHL.
That same month this year saw that rise to 6,060.
Overall, it means that across both inpatient and outpatient appointments at University Hospital Limerick, there’s been a year-on-year increase of 52% on the number of patients waiting a year and a half or more to be seen.
