Hospital waiting lists grow to 82,200 people across Cork

MORE than 82,200 people were on waiting lists at Cork hospitals at the end of 2023, an increase from the same period last year.

According to the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), 7,992 were waiting for inpatient treatment at hospitals in Cork and 74,243 were awaiting outpatient appointments as of December 28.

Of these, 19,605 were waiting for more than a year, and 11,557 of those have been waiting for more than 18 months.

South Infirmary Victoria Hospital had the largest waiting list for inpatient treatment, at 4,144 people; the waiting list for outpatient appointments was 26,478.

The highest total waiting list was seen in Cork University Hospital, at 36,697 people across its waiting lists — 1,653 awaiting an inpatient treatment and 35,044 awaiting an appointment.

There were 6,875 people on waiting lists at the Mercy University Hospital, 3,979 at Mallow General Hospital, 3,003 at Cork University Maternity Hospital, and 1,158 at Bantry General Hospital.

These total figures show an increase from the same period last year, when a total of 73,491 people were on waiting lists — 6,779 awaiting inpatient treatment and 66,712 awaiting outpatient treatment according to NTPF figures from December 2022.

Nationally, in the region of 671,000 patients were on the active hospital waiting lists at the end of last month, according to the Department of Health.

Decrease of 3%

This, the department said, represents a decrease of around 3% (19,000) in 2023.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the latest figures “underline the advancements made on overall waiting list reduction for the second year in a row, and more importantly, the progress made in addressing long waiting times”.

He added: “The total waiting list exceeding the 10- and 12-week Sláintecare targets of 458,201 is an 11% (57,082) reduction, surpassing the 10% reduction targeted last year. Since the pandemic peaks, there has been a 27% reduction in the number of people waiting longer than the Sláintecare targets, equating to nearly 170,000 people.

“2023 also saw a reduction of almost one-third (32%) in those waiting longer than 12 months, which is also a reduction of some 60% since the covid-19 peak.”

He added: “This progression is striking given the challenging backdrop, in common with health services across Europe, of continuing significantly higher additions to waiting lists than projected.”