Public patients face up to five-year wait to see a specialist
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PUBLIC patients are waiting up to five years to have their condition assessed by a specialist.
An estimated 200,000 people who have been referred by their GP for a specialist opinion are believed to be on waiting lists nationwide.
However, people with certain illnesses -- including ear, nose and throat conditions or back problems -- can face lengthy delays before getting a specialist appointment.
"The numbers estimated on outpatient waiting lists for a first appointment are about 200,000 at the moment," Pat O'Byrne, the chief executive of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), told a health conference in Dublin yesterday.
"That seems to be a fairly static figure," he said. "I know of instances fairly recently where people were waiting for an outpatient appointment for five years, four years, three years."
Health Minister James Reilly has promised he will bring in expertise from Northern Ireland and the UK in an attempt to tackle waiting lists.
Patients in Cork are facing delays of up to four years to see an orthopaedic specialist.
The NTPF's main work is in tackling surgery delays but it also offers limited appointments to specialists. It has brought down waiting times for rheumatology patients in St James's hospital from 52 to eight weeks.
The fund was set up to reduce the number on public waiting lists and it pays for treatment for those who have been waiting for a long time.
It is not known how many of the patients who are waiting to see a specialist are then referred on to another list.
Special
Addressing the conference, the Health Minister said he will set up a special delivery unit to bring down waiting lists within three years.
Mr Reilly said he has asked the Department of Health to collate information on waiting lists for outpatients.
"I have to consult further . . . this special delivery unit has not been formed yet," said Mr Reilly, who attended the conference on "Reforming the Health System".
Michael Scanlon, secretary general of the department, conceded he would have to give a "minus" grade to the health service for access to outpatient appointments.
Asked about the progress of his review of the location and cost of the national children's hospital to be built on the Mater hospital site, he said he was examining all aspects and once this was completed, he would make an announcement.
Eilish Hardiman, chief executive of the hospital, pointed out the 2015 timeline for the opening of the hospital is subject to the planning process. A planning application has not yet been submitted.
Asked if she was disappointed at the review by the minister, she said the important issue was that a hospital was going to go ahead and that it was included in the programme for government.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
