The number of adults and children on consultant waiting list at Ennis General and University Hospital Limerick saw a large spike in the last month.
The latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show that almost 4,000 patients at the MidWest facilities have been waiting over a year for specialist appointments.
A total of 29,447 adults were waiting for inpatient and outpatient appointments at UHL or Ennis General in July.
The figure represents an increase of 14% from the over 25,893 adults recorded in June.
However, the latest report from the NTPF shows the number of people waiting 18 months or more at both facilities remains on a significant downward trajectory.
At Dooradoyle, 2,009 adults were waiting this length of time, in addition to 171 children, meaning 319 patients were cleared from the most lengthy backlog at UHL in July.
In Ennis meanwhile, the number of adults waiting a year marginally increased to nine, while the number of children waiting this long fell to zero for the first time this year.
The majority of those waiting an extended period at UHL were seeking dermatology or ear, nose and throat services.
At Ennis General, a total of 866 patients were waiting for Cardiology appointments, 104 of whom were waiting longer than 12 months, with two patients waiting over a year and a half for a consultant in the discipline of Rheumatology.
