Hospital waiting lists now at highest level ever – IHCA

Consultants say the mid-point of the 2024 Action Plan shows a greater than ever need for ‘actions rather than words’, as the point out how the Government look set to significantly miss current end of year targets.

A record 911,500 people are currently named on some form of public hospital waiting list; the highest it has ever been; surpassing previous record of 910,00 set in August 2022.

Almost 40,400 were meanwhile added to three main waiting lists in the first half of 2023, missing Government reduction target by 60,000.

There are also now 88,815 patients now waiting for inpatient or day case procedures – the highest ever recorded figure for those awaiting hospital treatment.

Despite €437m being spent on a Waiting List Action Plan, the State is now increasingly unlikely to meet target of reducing waiting lists by 39,300 (6%) by end of 2024.

IHCA Vice President Prof Anne Doherty: “The 2024 Waiting List Action Plan has reached its halfway point but is nowhere near achieving the reduction targets set for the end of the year. The truth is, commitment on reducing waiting lists needs to be measured by actions, not promises. The Government needs to urgently increase public hospital capacity to treat the increasing number of patients on waiting lists.”

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has today (Friday 12 July 2024) urged the Government to take the necessary actions to follow through on their promises to significantly increase public hospital capacity in order to address waiting lists.

The latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) show a significant increase of almost 328,000 in the number of people waiting for care compared with May 2017 at the launch of Sláintecare. This brings the total waiting list figure to a record 911,500 – the highest it has ever been, surpassing the previous record of 910,000 set in August 2022. These record figures come as the Government marks the midpoint of its Waiting List Action Plan for 2024.

The €437 million plan set out to reduce waiting lists for outpatient, inpatient and day case appointments and procedures by 6% or around 39,300 by the end of the year, compared with the number waiting at the start of 2024.1 However, six months into 2024 and instead of an expected reduction of around 19,600, the latest NTPF figures confirm that almost 40,400 additional people have in fact been added to these three main waiting lists – a 60,000 shortfall.

The IHCA says that outpatient appointments have seen the largest increases – a further 35,900 (+6%) people added in the first six months of 2024, instead of the pro rata target reduction of more than 25,000 expected at the halfway point of the Action Plan. This is because demand continues to outstrip limited supply, which is impacting on the health service’s ability to deliver care.

Inpatient and Day Case waiting lists are also up by more than 3,000 (+3%) since the start of January to 88,815 – the highest ever recorded figure for those awaiting hospital treatment.

The waiting list increases come as separate figures confirm the NTPF was in fact ahead of its activity targets up to the end of April due to increased public hospitals insourcing and private hospitals outsourcing, including arranging 30% more outpatient appointments than anticipated.

The NTPF was 15% ahead of target in the number of gastrointestinal (GI) scopes arranged, funded an additional 3% of inpatient or day case procedures, and removed an additional 9% of patients from hospital waiting lists without any treatment through its administrative ‘validation’ programme. Despite this increased activity, waiting lists continue to soar.

Consultants expressed their disappointment that despite recent pledges to deliver an additional 3,000 acute hospital beds by 2031, the HSE Capital Plan for 2024 published this week has committed to open just 127 new beds this year.

This is around one-third (38%) the number additional beds, 330 each year, that the ESRI has recommended are needed just to keep up with demand from population pressures.