More than 7,000 paediatric appointments cancelled in Cork University Hospital in last five years

A total of 7,072 paediatric appointments and surgeries were cancelled in Cork University Hospital over the last five years, new HSE figures show, as nearly 5,000 children are currently awaiting treatment in the hospital.

There were 1,857 cancellations in 2020, 1,103 in 2021, 1,494 in 2022, 1,163 in 2023 and 1,455 in 2024 of CUH appointments for children with an address in Cork.

More than 60 different reasons for cancellation were provided by the HSE, but in 44% of cancellations, the reason was listed as “not specified” or “other reason”.

The other most common reasons listed were that the appointment was cancelled by the consultant, in 796 cases, or due to clerical errors in 739 cases.

Some 650 of the cancellations were due to infection control measures, with 576 of these occurring in 2020 and likely related to the Covid pandemic.

In 221 cases, appointments were cancelled due to staff being on sick leave, with 203 of these being in 2024.

Other less common reasons for cancellations included equipment unavailable, staff shortage, industrial action, the patient receiving treatment privately, the patient being admitted to the hospital as an inpatient or the patient dying.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, who received the information from the HSE in response to a parliamentary question, told The Echo: “Over 7,000 children had appointments cancelled at CUH in the last five years. This is a shocking statistic.” Pointing to the increase between 2023 and 2024, he said: “It is clear that children’s health services are getting worse, not better.

“What is deeply concerning is that more than 700 children had appointments cancelled due to clerical errors. Last year alone, more than 200 children had appointments cancelled due to sick leave.” 

At the end of June, 4,873 children were awaiting an appointment at CUH: 3,342 for less than six months, 994 for six months to a year, 369 for a year to 18 months, and 169 for more than 18 months.

Mr Gould said: “There are serious concerns here. For many of these children, these appointments are vitally important. They have often waited months, and years, for the appointment. The setback that cancellations cause cannot be underestimated.

“Their families are stressed and under pressure. Not only is their child sick, but they’ve no idea when they’ll be seen. I am tired of excuses. These are sick children. They don’t want any more excuses from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.”

A HSE spokesperson told The Echo: “CUH deeply regrets any disruption caused to families when appointments must be cancelled. While cancellation is never the preferred outcome, it may occur due to clinical emergencies, staffing challenges, scheduling constraints, or patient-related issues.” They added: “The paediatric service is currently reviewing the ‘other reason’ category to fully understand the nature and causes of cancellations recorded under this heading.

“Where a patient cannot attend their appointment, we ask that parents or guardians provide us with notice. This enables us to reallocate the appointment to another child on the waiting list, improving access and continuity of care. CUH remains committed to delivering timely, high-quality paediatric services. We continue to explore system and resource improvements to reduce cancellation rates.”