More than 97,000 children on hospital waiting lists ‘not good enough’

MORE than 97,000 children are on hospital waiting lists in Ireland, according to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA).

Of that figure, 37,000 children have been waiting over a year for care, with 27,700 waiting more than 18 months.

According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), 388 children were waiting for inpatient treatment at hospitals in Cork at the end of August, and a total of 7,995 children were waiting for outpatient care.

Dr Ike Okafor of the IHCA said that the country is currently “playing catch-up” with children’s health.

“It’s not good enough, and we need to do better,” he said.

“No child should have to wait more than six weeks to get any kind of healthcare intervention.

“The longer they wait, the more protracted their condition actually becomes.

“All stakeholders need to come together to make healthcare better, more accessible, and more equitable.”

The HSE was unable to procure Cork-specific data when responding to a query from The Echo, but a recent report from the Irish Patients’ Association shows that 125,397 outpatients were waiting to see a consultant in the South/Southwest Hospital Group in September.

Cork University Hospital had 32 children waiting for an appointment with a paediatric neurology specialist, and a total of 34 were waiting to see a specialist from paediatric cardiology.

“After so many years of plans, this is not acceptable,” the Irish Patients’ Association said in its report.

“There is a duty of care to ensure that these people are not in danger from these delays.”

Nationally, the number of patients waiting to be assessed by a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist was at a six-year high in September, with 2,948 children on the CAMHS waiting list.

“There are certain specialities where there are significant pressure points,” said Dr Okafor.

“Mental health is one clear example of this. The pandemic has led to a massive increase in children presenting with acute mental health problems, especially eating disorders and self-harm.

“A system that was already under pressure has suddenly gone into crisis mode.

“Children are waiting longer and longer to see psychologists and psychiatrists, and that’s a problem.”

According to a 2020 HSE report, an additional 207 consultants are needed across paediatrics, neonatology, and paediatric surgery by 2028 to meet demand.

“We need to not only improve recruitment, but also the retention of staff,” said Dr Okafor. “If we improve all these things together, I believe we can deliver the healthcare in this country that our children deserve.”