Galway out-patient numbers highest in country

Over 21,000 patients are waiting over one year for out-patient appointments at Galway University Hospitals, according to “disturbing” new official figures for hospital waiting times.

 

In fact, the number of out-patients over one year for treatment at University College Hospital, Galway and Merlin Park, Galway  is the highest in the country.

The Health Service Executive’s Performance Report for July 2012 revealed there were 21,089 out-patients waiting over twelve months for treatment at the Galway Hospital Group.

This was slightly higher than the 20,945 waiting at the Waterford Regional Hospital and over 6,000 patients more than the figure of 14,263 at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.

Galway Hospitals’ Group chief executive officer, Bill Maher has acknowledged the huge numbers on the outpatients’ waiting list needs to be tackled.

The performance of Galway Hospitals looks poor when compared to other hospitals including Cork South Infirmary, Victoria Hospital which has 5,784 outpatients waiting for treatment, 5,115 at Tallaght Hospital; 4,577 at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; 3, 632 at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and 2,402 at Beaumont Hospital.

Galway West Deputy, Derek Nolan described the Galway Hospital Group outpatient figures as “extremely disturbing and utterly unacceptable”.

The Labour Deputy is very concerned at the number of patients waiting to be seen at an outpatient department in the Galway Hospital Group.

“Galway has the worst record of any hospital in the country for waiting times in excess of a year. Minister for Health Dr James Reilly has said that he will tackle this problem and dramatically reduce waiting times by the end of next year. I will be holding him to this pledge.

“The Galway Hospital Group is making significant strides in tackling some long held performance issues. I would like to compliment the new management team on their work in relation to inpatient waiting times, emergency department count and trolley figures.

“What is particularly impressive, however, is the continued dedication of the frontline staff in what are difficult circumstances.

“The outpatient times must now become a real priority. It is incumbent on the Government to provide targeted resources to this issue, as they did for inpatient lists and trolley counts. I will continue to raise this issue with the minister and the HSE,” he said.

Deputy Nolan told The Clare Champion Minister Reilly has sent a new target for acute hospitals by the end of 2013 to ensure that no one is waiting over a year for an out-patient appointment.

He pledged to hold the minister to this target and blamed the out-patients figures at the hospitals on the management deficit at Galway University Hospital where a number of senior key permanent positions such as the chief executive officer were vacant for some time until last January when Bill Maher took up the post.

Asked if the minister’s pledge was an attempt to put this problem on the back burner, Deputy Nolan pointed out it would take about a year to put the necessary measures in place at the hospitals to significantly reduce the figures.

Deputy Nolan pointed out the most important issue concerning waiting times was not the overall numbers but the length of time patients were left waiting for treatment.

The musculoskeletal (MSK) clinic in Merlin Park has seen 272 patients between June 18 and August 31.

The huge number on out-patients lists was also raised by HSE West Forum chairman, Councillor Pádraig Conneely at a meeting in Galway on Tuesday, where he described the presence of almost 41,000 in total on the validated out-patient waiting list in Galway University Hospital as “horrendous”.

He cited the case of an eight year-old boy who was on an out-patient waiting list for five years.

“The number of people on out-patient waiting list is horrendous. It should not be happening. Some progress will have to be made on reducing this list. People will lose hope, people will die.

The amount of people on the outpatients list would not fit into Pearse Stadium for a Connacht final,” he said.
Galway Hospitals’ Group chief executive officer, Bill Maher admitted at the meeting the number of patients on the outpatients’ list was far higher than they wanted it to be and needed to be tackled.

Mr Maher pledged the hospitals wanted to deliver a service where patients were waiting less than twelve months by the end of 2013 before the introduction of this expected national target before the end of this year.

He said the hospitals would be looking at measures to deliver more activity to reduce waiting lists over the next year and noted managers would be putting the same focus in this area, which had led to significant reductions in the Emergency Department and in-patients waiting times earlier this year.

A new clinic was recently introduced at Galway University Hospital in an effort to reduce waiting lists for orthopaedic treatment.

The MSK clinic will assist with the management of orthopaedic waiting lists as part of a national initiative.
It started at the beginning of July and along with other initiatives aimed at reducing long outpatient waiting lists, the orthopaedic waiting list has reduced by 55 weeks. Up to 239 patients have been seen up to the end of August.