Over 13,000 on Outpatient waiting lists in Louth hopsitals

There were over 13,000 people waiting for a first appointment at a consultant led Outpatient clinic in Louth hospitals, at the end of November 2018. This is according to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) hospital waiting list data that was released yesterday.

There were 11,452 patients in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital (OLOL) in Drogheda at the end of November 2018, waiting for a first appointment at an Outpatient clinic. This is down from 12,935 at the same time last year. In the Louth County Hospital (LCH) there was 1,573, down from 2,461 in November 2017.

The NTPF waiting list figures are collated in respect of Inpatient, Day Case, Planned Procedure and Outpatient Waiting Lists. While there have been reductions many areas, some individual areas have seen a slight increase.

At the end of November there were 570 patients in OLOL (861 in 2017) and 412 (524 in 2017) in LCH, waiting for an appointment date for their treatment.

A further 141 in OLOL (up from 86 last year), and 119 in LCH (down from 133 last year) have a scheduled appointment date for their treatment.

The Planned Procedure list comprises those patients who have had treatment and require additional treatment at a future date (e.g. a patient who has had a scope may require surveillance monitoring scopes in the future).

In OLOL there were 27 patients (14 in Nov 2017) on this list and 240 in LCH (188 in Nov 2017), at the end of November.

The figures also give details on planned procedure GI endoscopies. In OLOL this figure stood at 1,015 at the end of November (up from 957 in Nov 2017) , while in LCH it stood at 1,774 (down from 1,902 in Nov 2017).

Along with releasing the waiting list data yesterday, the NTPF also outlined the details of the support they will be providing to patients in Emergency Departments to complement the HSE Winter Plan, by arranging diagnostics in both private facilities and in-house.

Welcoming this support, the Minister for Health, Simon Harris said, "a key challenge that our hospitals faced last year over the winter months was access to diagnostics.

"The NTPF has established a fund of €1m which will support the HSE Winter Plan with a focus on increasing access to diagnostics for patients presenting in Emergency Departments in December and January.

“This collaboration between the HSE and the NTPF is an example of the innovative approach that has been adopted this year to reduce the length of time that patients stay in the emergency department and in hospital.”