Almost a tenth of people on hospital lists awaiting dermatology care

Dermatology care includes skin cancers, eczema or rashes among a range of issues.

Dermatology care currently accounts for almost a tenth of the people on hospital waiting lists with those considered non-urgent having to wait three years in some regions.

Among the 60,700 people on the lists are 3,600 children, according to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA).

Dermatology care includes skin cancers, eczema or rashes among a range of issues.

However, only 64 consultant dermatologists were employed in the public system at the end of 2024, the IHCA said. 

This comes as Hiqa published a report on the potential benefits of using telemedicine to tackle dermatology waiting lists.

Teledermatology would see GPs take photographs of lesions or rashes and send these for triage by a dermatologist.

IHCA president Prof Gabrielle Colleran welcomed Hiqa’s endorsement of this approach as “one important aspect of essential innovation” in improving access for patients.

“Our members have long advocated for integrating digital technology to triage cases more effectively and to ensure patients are seen in the right place at the right time,” she said.

Hiqa estimated a teledermatology-supported referral pathway would cost an additional €2.7m over 10 years. 

It would enable an additional 270,000 patients to be managed compared with the current referral system.

Hiqa chief scientist, Dr Conor Teljeur, estimated this could quickly be put in place.

“Teledermatology is widely used internationally, and we found a large body of evidence to support its use,” he said.

“However, teledermatology can only do so much to bridge the gap between demand and capacity. 

"There remains an urgent need to recruit more consultant dermatologists.”