208,000 stuck on ‘ticking timebomb’ hospital waiting lists due to virus
Measures slow down care as services play catch-up
CONCERN for patient care is escalating because nearly 208,000 people are stuck on a “ticking timebomb” of hospital waiting lists triggered by the Covid-19 crisis.
They are in a queue for at least a year on a public outpatient list to see a specialist, with patients in need of orthopaedic and ear, nose and throat checks among the worst hit.
It comes as the Irish Cancer Society warned more than 2,700 people are waiting for an urgent bowel cancer test.
Dr Padraig McGarry, president of the Irish Medical Organisation, said social distancing guidelines and infection control were reducing capacity by more than 50pc.
“We need to immediately begin a significant capacitybuilding programme to safeguard patients and enable doctors to do their jobs safely and effectively,” he said.
Last month, 207,970 people were waiting over a year for an outpatient appointment – an increase of 34,768 since February.
The pause forced on planned treatments and clinics for months during Covid-19 led to outpatient waiting lists overall rising to 575,863 in May, up from 558,554 in February. Surgery lists rose from 66,705 to 88,946.
Physical distancing, cleaning regimes and a range of other precautions which are now mandatory in hospitals are slowing medical services.
The Irish Cancer Society called for urgent action to prevent delayed diagnosis.
Dr Anthony O’Connor, a consultant gastroenterologist, said: “People who require an urgent colonoscopy should be seen in 28 days under best practice. This is not happening for too many people and many more people will be left waiting for far too long unless we see steps taken now.
“The longer people have to wait, the greater risk we are taking with their outcome if they are found to have cancer.
“The entire health system is playing catch-up due to Covid19 but endoscopy was already behind – this is why we need to see investment, including the recruitment of more triage nurses and the expansion of non-invasive testing.”
There are 1,300 people waiting longer than the target of 28 days for a test and more than 300 people waiting for more than 90 days.
Dr Donal O’Hanlon of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association said the new programme for government fell short and he warned of “unprecedented challenges in the months ahead unless practical plans are developed and implemented”.
In response, the HSE said it was being guided by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) in terms of its overall response to the pandemic, including the volume and types of acute activity that could be safely undertaken in private and public hospitals during the pandemic.
Nphet’s guidance prior to May 5 was to undertake only critical, time-dependent work.
A spokeswoman said that time-critical emergency endoscopy work continued throughout the system.
On June 4, endoscopy units were issued with national guidance about how to resume non-emergency services safely.
“This guidance includes the requirement for a number of measures to ensure patient and staff safety which will continue to see capacity in endoscopy units significantly affected,” she said.
“Preliminary assessments suggest capacity will be impacted by over 50pc.”
She added the immediate priority was to provide endoscopies for patients who had been awaiting urgent procedures for more than 28 days.
As of June 5, some 1,250 patients were waiting over 28 days and a further 1,276 patients were delayed less than 28 days for an urgent colonoscopy.
“This is likely to lead to longer waiting times for new patients who are placed on the waiting list for urgent, routine and planned procedures in endoscopy units,” she said.
The work is being outsourced privately and other initiatives are being looked at.
Meanwhile, another three deaths from the virus were reported yesterday, bringing the total death toll to 1,709. Another 14 people have been diagnosed with the virus.
‘Longer people wait, the greater the risk with their outcome’