Waiting lists to see a surgeon ‘up 800%’

FF TD claims 100,000 waiting more than 18 months

‘We have 550,000 on outpatients list’

THE number of people on long-term hospital waiting lists has jumped by 800% in three years, an Oireachtas committee has been told.

More than 550,000 people are now on the outpatient waiting list.

Fianna Fáil health spokesman Stephen Donnelly told the Health Committee’s quarterly update there was a ‘postcode lottery’ in the health service.

He said: ‘Right across the system access is becoming worse and worse and worse. For the first time ever we have over 550,000 on the list for outpatients. The number waiting more than a year and a half is particularly striking.

‘It was 13,000 about three years ago. It has gone up to over 100,000. That’s an 800% increase in just three years in the number of men, women and children waiting to see a hospital consultant. The longest lists ever is Lottery: Stephen Donnelly a massive geographic variance. There’s a postcode lottery going on and it’s different for different parts of the system.

‘Those waiting for outpatients in Galway University Hospital is over 40,000, Limerick University Hospital is nearly 35,000, Waterford is at 40,000 and Tallaght is over 30,000. We are seeing this postcode lottery depending on whether you need to see a doctor, or physio or OT (occupational therapist).

‘Given there has been an unprecedented increase in healthcare funding — nearly €3.5billion extra in the last few years — with this huge increase in funding, why are people waiting longer than ever to see doctors and get treatment and get diagnostics?’

Health Minister Simon Harris said around 3.3million people attend outpatient clinics every year and one million of these are for first appointments.

He said: ‘One of the challenges for us is, can we reduce the number of return appointments needed to the hospital?’

He added that the population is ‘rapidly changing’, which means changing healthcare needs and said the service needs to ‘radically change’ to meet the needs of the public. He added: ‘About 500,000 people missed their outpatient appointment last year. People don’t miss them unless they have a good reason.

‘If 500,000 people were offered an outpatient appointment and didn’t turn up, what does that tell you about the waiting list?’

Paul Reid, director general of the HSE, said the health service is continuing to deal with increased demands.

Mr Reid said he visited the mortuary at University Hospital Waterford after concerns were raised by consultant pathologists about inadequate facilities.

He said he recognised the facilities are not compliant with contemporary requirements, adding that immediate interim control measures have been put in place while additional refrigeration capacity has also been made available.

‘In acknowledging the issues and concerns expressed by the staff, a review of the mortuary services is now planned,’ he added.