18,517 still on waiting lists

Latest hospital waiting list figures show that the average waiting time for surgical and medical procedures for public patients is now 2.5 months, the lowest it has ever been.

The figures were announced by the The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), the State body which organises private treatment for people on public waiting lists, in its latest annual report.

However, the total number of patients awaiting surgical procedures actually increased last year, and there were still 18,517 adults and children on waiting lists for both surgical and medical treatment at the end of 2009.

NTPF statistics show that while there were 13,863 adults and children awaiting surgery at the end of 2008, this had increased to 14,451 at the end of 2009.

However, the NTPF, which compiles hospital waiting list figures on public patients, says the number of people waiting for procedures longer than 12 months was only 611 patients this month.

Two-thirds of the 12 months-plus waiting list figure is accounted for by only five hospitals, including Crumlin and Tallaght. The NTPF has called on the hospitals to clear their long-waiting patients.

Over 4,000 were waiting more than 12 months for care two years ago.

The NTPF arranged treatment for 28,758 public patients last year and spent €90 million.

The Treatment Fund said it did not yet have the total waiting list figure for April, including those waiting up to 12 months. A spokesman said this figure would be published by the NTPF's Patient Treatment Register in a number of weeks.

The total figure on waiting lists at the end of 2009, including those awaiting medical as well as surgical treatment, was 18,517. The figure was 17,491 in April 2009.

However, while the NTPF deals mainly with patients awaiting inpatient treatment for longer than three months, it has to date made only relatively small inroads to date into the massive public outpatient clinic waiting list, which patients must go on before they get onto an inpatient waiting list.

While the HSE has not provided up-to-date figures on outpatient waiting numbers for some time, there are estimated to be as many as 175,000 on these lists, although some may no longer require public outpatient treatment. Some patients have to wait a number of years for an outpatient appointment in a public hospital.

NTPF Chairman John O'Dwyer said outpatient clinic access is one of the current bottlenecks in our hospital system. He said he would like to see improved access for patients to hospital outpatient clinics, and the NTPF involvement to date in this area had been limited.

The NTPF says it contacted 10,166 patients on outpatient lists in 2009. Thirty per cent of those contacted were removed from outpatient lists, while 6,388 received outpatient appointments.

It was found that 46% of these required surgery and 23% required further investigation, while 11% did not attend clinics and were also removed from the list.

NTPF Chief Executive Pat O'Byrne suggested that further research needed to be done on why, following outpatient waiting list validation, 30% of patients had to be removed from the list.

The NTPF said the advent of many new private hospitals in recent years had enabled it to negotiate very competitive prices for treatment. The Treatment Fund's spending accounts for 0.5% of all health spending.

It said the Comptroller and Auditor General had concluded that most procedures purchased by the NTPF from private hospitals cost less than the comparable public hospital benchmark cost.

Mr O'Byrne pointed out that the average waiting time for treatment in 2001 was 2-5 years, while now it had been reduced to 2.5 months.

He stressed that the NTPF focus is on improving access to treatment for public patients who have been waiting longest. Mr O'Byrne said it is not the number of people waiting but the length of time they have to wait that is the critical factor.

The NTPF said in 1.7% of the cases where it arranged treatment last year, the patient had received private treatment from the public consultant they were under.

However, the NTPF said these cases were very rare and treatment by the same consultant was required for patient safety reasons where complex care was needed.

The bulk of the NTPF-arranged treatment is carried out in private hospitals in Ireland.

[Posted: Thu 29/04/2010]