Almost 8,000 people wait for 18 months for consultant at Cork University Hospital

Hospital consultants have described the national waiting list figures as “unacceptable”.

Almost 8,000 people have been waiting longer than 18 months for a first appointment with a consultant at Cork University Hospital.

The Department of Health has insisted that progress is being made to tackle waiting lists around the country despite new figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund showing little or no improvement in many areas and a worsening situation in others.