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Hospital Waiting Lists

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 September 2021

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Questions (220, 221)

Imelda Munster

Question:

220. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on outpatient waiting lists in tabular form at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda; if he will provide a breakdown or medical speciality of those numbers by department in tabular form; and the length of time that patients have been on the list. [45517/21]

View answer

Imelda Munster

Question:

221. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Health the number of patients on outpatient waiting lists in tabular form in Louth County Hospital; if he will provide a breakdown or medical speciality of those numbers by department in tabular form; and the length of time that patients have been on the list. [45518/21]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 221 together.

It is recognised that waiting times for scheduled appointments and procedures have been impacted in the last eighteen months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently as a result of the ransomware attack. While significant progress was made in reducing waiting times from June 2020 onwards, the surge in Covid-19 cases in the first quarter of 2021 and the associated curtailment of acute hospital services, coupled with the ransomware attack of May 2021, has impacted waiting times. However, the HSE advise that acute services are now almost all fully restored to pre cyber-attack levels, and are operating in line with relevant Covid protocols.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) are focusing on improving access to elective care in order to reduce waiting times for patients. These plans include increased use of private hospitals, funding weekend and evening work in public hospitals, funding “see and treat” services where minor procedures are provided at the same time as outpatient consultations, providing virtual clinics and increasing capacity in the public hospital system.

An additional €240 million has been provided in Budget 2021 for an access to care fund, €210m of which has been allocated to the HSE and a further €30m to the NTPF. This is to be used to fund additional capacity to address the shortfall arising as a result of infection control measures taken in the context of COVID-19, as well as addressing backlogs in waiting lists.

My Department, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund are currently working on a Multiannual Waiting List Plan to address waiting lists and bring them in line with Sláintecare targets over the coming years.

The waiting list information requested by the deputy is outlined in the attached documents.

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Outpatient Waiting List by Hospital

 0-3Months

 3-6Months

 6-9Months

 9-12Months

12-15Months

15-18Months

18-21Months

21-24Months

24-36Months

36-48Months

Grand Total

Cardiology

434

257

210

158

130

97

158

76

14

1534

Dermatology

1360

885

648

712

467

157

215

212

446

5102

Endocrinology

186

132

88

63

10

479

Gastro-Enterology

168

124

27

319

General Medicine

34

17

51

General Surgery

362

181

80

62

23

15

11

734

Gynaecology

526

380

305

282

166

45

1704

Haematology

129

41

12

20

202

Infectious Diseases

6

6

Nephrology

37

6

43

Ophthalmology

122

113

53

34

39

8

369

Orthopaedics

66

44

40

33

20

6

17

226

Otolaryngology (ENT)

402

359

221

171

116

23

101

80

98

1571

Paediatric ENT

69

55

52

52

21

27

46

44

84

450

Paediatrics

423

259

255

269

17

21

16

1260

Respiratory Medicine

89

73

29

32

20

19

47

26

335

Urology

294

228

195

186

120

68

32

1123

Small Vol Specialties

14

Grand Total

4720

3150

2217

2072

1153

483

642

439

646

15522

Louth County Hospital Outpatient Waiting List by Specialty

Row Labels

 0-3Months

 3-6Months

 6-9Months

 9-12Months

12-15Months

15-18Months

18-21Months

21-24Months

24-36Months

Grand Total

Endocrinology

107

77

10

194

General Surgery

386

93

479

Gynaecology

110

95

81

67

31

384

Ophthalmology

55

61

42

31

13

7

5

214

Orthopaedics

289

209

198

228

161

122

161

70

1438

Urology

47

30

77

Small Vol Specialties

13

Grand Total

1000

566

330

327

209

131

165

71

2799

Question No. 221 answered with Question No. 220.
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