Increase in patients stuck on waiting list for over 12 months in Limerick

NEARLY 42,000 patients were stuck on a waiting list for surgeries and appointments at the three main acute hospitals in Limerick, new figures reveal.

According to July figures released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, there were 41,812 inpatients and outpatients on a waiting list at University Hospital Limerick, Croom Orthopaedic Hospital and St John’s Hospital.

This was a 1.7% decrease on June figures, when there were 42,529 patients on a waiting list. June’s NTPF figures in Limerick also marked a decrease of 2.5%.

However, the number of people waiting for treatment and appointments for more than 12 months has increased by less than 437 since June.

There were 644 inpatients and 12,367 outpatients on a waiting list at the three hospitals for over a year in July.

There was a marginal increase in inpatient numbers at 3,976, up from 3,937 in June. There was a decrease of just 1,000 patients in July with 37,836 patients.

This amounts to 31.1% of all waiting list numbers in the Limerick region.

There were 6,798 patients waiting for more than 18 months for treatment and appointments in July, the figures show. 

Most of the outpatients on a waiting list were in gastroenterology, maxillo-facial, neurology, otolaryngology (ENT) and urology at UHL; and orthopaedics in Croom.  

Croom Orthopaedic Hospital is the only hospital in Limerick that has zero patients waiting for more than 12 months for inpatient and day case care.

In June, St John’s Hospital had zero patients waiting for more than 18 months. But two additional people were added to the list in the latest register of figures.

The UL Hospitals Group was the best performing hospital group in the country with 45,690 on an inpatient and outpatient waiting list in July, according to the new NTPF statistics.