20,000 people wait for consultant appointments

ALMOST 20,000 people are being forced to wait for outpatient appointments at one of the country’s largest hospitals — with nearly one in four on lists for more than a year.

Official Health Service Executive (HSE) figures confirm that children and adults in need of neurological, orthopaedic, paediatric and cardiology care are unable to access the treatment they need at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

Figures for CUH show that at the start of June 19,940 people were on outpatient consultant waiting lists across all 36 departments.

According to the statistics, released in response to a parliamentary question by Labour Cork South West TD Michael McCarthy, this figure includes 4,429 patients who have been told they cannot access the care they need for at least a year.

This sub-group — which accounts for almost one in four of the total number — includes:

* Orthopaedics: 1,055 (adults) 458 (children).

* Ophthalmology/eye treatment: 573.

* Diabetes mellitus: 490.

* Neurology: 477 (adults) 51 (children).

* Plastic surgery (functional): 268.

* Cardiology: 8.

In addition to those who are waiting more than 12 months for vital care, 5,866 people have also been told they will not be seen before the end of the year.

These include 68 people waiting for cardiology care, 534 for neurology, 1,747 for orthopaedics, 422 for paediatrics, and two pain relief patients who will not receive treatment until between December 2011 and May 2012.

HSE South area manager for Cork, Ger Reaney, said CUH is currently using a system where outpatient appointments are forwarded to the relevant consultant and reviewed on the basis of clinical urgency. He said the hospital is examining ways to reduce waiting times.

These include “more efficient” processing of GP referrals and “approval for the recruitment” of two more orthopaedic surgeons.

Earlier this year, the Irish Examiner revealed that some neurology patients at CUH have been told to wait up to three years for outpatient appointments. These included people suffering from Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and potential brain tumours.

Separately, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has announced its members at Beaumont Hospital are set to take strike action over the ongoing placement of patients on trolleys on wards under the HSE’s controversial “escalation policy”.

This policy — aimed at reducing emergency department (ED) overcrowding — sees patients on trolleys moved from EDs and distributed onto wards around the hospital.

INMO industrial relations officer Noel Treanor said the sole aim of the industrial action — which is under way and involves work-to-rule on the wards in question — is “sustaining safe patient care in an unsafe environment”.

A spokesperson for Beaumont Hospital said its ED had been under “severe pressure” this week and that to help it cope, 10 additional beds were provided on wards throughout the hospital on Wednesday, just two of which were retained overnight.

No additional beds were provided yesterday evening.