Number waiting more than a year for surgery down 75%

THE NUMBER of public patients waiting over a year for surgery has decreased by 75 per cent in the last year, according to the latest figures from the Patient Treatment Register (PTR).

However, the head of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) said he was concerned that waiting lists could rise again due to cuts in the forthcoming budget.

"One of the dangers always with cuts is that the likelihood is the bigger the cuts the more of an impact it will have on a waiting list," Pat O'Byrne told The Irish Timesyesterday.

It was “not acceptable” that 477 patients were waiting over 12 months for surgery at the end of November 2009, he said. Over half of these patients were on waiting lists in Temple Street children’s hospital, Tallaght Hospital and Mid-Western Regional Hospital Dooradoyle, because “the [hospitals] had not dealt with the problem”, Mr O’Byrne said.

“If a hospital can treat so many patients waiting less than 12 months why not treat a smaller number who have been waiting over 12 months,” he said.

Arranging treatment for those on the waiting list was an “utmost priority”, Mr O’Byrne said.

Patients waiting over three months had reduced by 12 per cent in the past year to some 13,000.

The average waiting time for an operation is at its lowest ever level of 2.4 months. “This compares to five years ago when patients were waiting on average two to five years,” he said.