60,000 waiting for hospital procedures

A lack of specialists, mass retirements, deep budget cuts and the private health insurance crisis have resulted in the number of people being told they must wait for vital hospital procedures surge to almost 60,000.

Figures revealed by the HSE also show that despite Health Minister James Reilly’s repeated criticism of the waits while in opposition, the numbers waiting more than six months are 47% higher today than when he took power one year ago.

According to the HSE’s latest performance monitoring report, 59,832 children and adults are being told they cannot receive the care they need when they need it.

The figure, which was calculated for the period July to December 2011, includes 44,079 patients waiting for day treatment and 15,753 waiting for inpatient help. It is focussed specifically on planned day care and inpatient elective procedures.

While the conditions involved, such as orthopaedics, are not life-threatening, they have a significant impact on the individuals’ quality of life.

According to the HSE report, at the end of December 11,688 children and adults were waiting for six months for treatment inDecember 2011.

This is 5,493 patients higher than the 7,402 patients left facing similarly unacceptable waits inDecember 2010.

Planned procedures waiting lists have also increased by 22%.

While the number of patients waiting over 12 months for procedures fell from almost 1,200 last summer to 330 in December, 181 children and adults were still waiting over a year for an inpatient procedure and 154 for day-case treatment at that time.

In addition, the overall number of people waiting over three months for treatment increased from 20,634 in December 2010 to 28,850 at the end of December 2011.

The total on waiting lists, including those waiting for less than three months, was 59,832 at the end of December 2011 compared to 50,582 a year earlier.

Responding, Dr Reilly attempted to focus on the positive by stating that he was targeting a reduction in the most lengthy waits first through his Special Delivery Unit group.

As such, he said, it was inevitable that improvements for those waiting a comparatively shorter period of time — less than a year — would take longer to occur.

However, despite the claim, the Irish Medical Organisation has stressed the lack of progress in overall waiting times is the direct result of 4,200 health service retirements between September and the end of this month, and budget cuts including €115m to the HSE South and €104m to the HSE West.

It has also noted the ongoing lack of specialists to carry out the work in certain locations and for some medical conditions, and the fact that surging private health insurance costs are forcing hospitals to cope with an influx of patients into the public system.

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Waiting lists

* Total number of children and adults on inpatient and day-care procedure hospital waiting lists: 59,832 (Dec 2011); 50,582 (Dec 2010) — up 9,250

* Total number waiting three months or more: 28,850 (Dec 2011); 20,634 (Dec 2010) — up 8,216

* Total number waiting six months or more: 11,688 (Dec 2011); 7,402 (Dec 2010) — up 4,286