Almost 133,000 on outpatient waiting lists in south/south-west

57% of these are on waiting lists at Cork University Hospital

In CUH, 10,526 have waited over 18 months for outpatient care, and 389 over one year for inpatient treatment. Picture: Dan Linehan

The equivalent of one in seven people in Cork county is now on outpatient waiting lists for Cork University Hospital (CUH), doctors have warned.

There are now more than 148,000 people waiting across Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Waterford on different types of lists, say doctors. 

Analysis of waiting lists for the South/Southwest Hospital Group by the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) found almost 133,000 people are waiting for outpatient assessments, with 57% of these on waiting lists at CUH.

“This is one in seven of the entire population of Cork county and a 38% increase (+21,000) since 2015,” the analysis shows. 

IHCA president Alan Irvine said: "The severe shortage of hospital consultants in our public health service in Cork and the southern region is the main contributor to the unacceptable delays in providing care to patients." 

It found that 30% of posts unfilled nationally after advertising was in this hospital group. 

Munster hospitals

These Munster hospitals have 38,400 patients waiting longer than the Government’s target to have 98% of patients receiving their first outpatient appointment within 18 months and in-patients within 12 months. 

In CUH, 10,526 have waited over 18 months for outpatient care, and 389 over one year for inpatient treatment. At the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, 7,093 have waited over 18 months for outpatient care and 315 for one year for inpatient care.

At Waterford University Hospital, 12,699 people have waited over 18 months for outpatient care and 1,305 over a year for inpatient care.

“Ophthalmology, orthopaedics, ENT, pain relief, dermatology and neurosurgery have some of the largest number of people waiting 18 months or longer for assessment by a consultant,” the analysis found.

David McMahon from the Irish Skin Foundation said people waiting for dermatology include potential skin cancer patients through a fast-track pathway, as well as people with severe eczema, psoriasis, or acne.

“The waiting list figures belie other issues like infrastructural deficits, the general need to increase the number of dermatologists in the system nationally,” he said, adding more nurses are also needed.

It has been estimated that 11 additional full-time dermatologists are needed nationally, bringing the workforce to 60, he said.

The IHCA also called for the urgent appointment of an independent chair for contract negotiations between doctors’ unions and the Government, following a four-month gap since the last chair left.