The number of patients on a waiting list for 18 months or longer increased in more than half of the State’s hospitals last year, despite a Government pledge to crack down on long wait times for treatment.
At the end of 2025, across the three waiting list types – inpatient, outpatient and GI endoscopy – 894,369 people were waiting for treatment. This was up from the 808,061 people on a list at the same time in 2024.
Health officials have consistently said the focus should not be on the number of people on waiting lists, noting the ageing population will result in an unavoidable increase in the number of people seeking intervention.
Officials said the focus should instead be on how long people are waiting, and have set targets of between 10 and 12 weeks under the Sláintecare health reforms.
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However, analysis of National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) waiting list figures showed progress to tackle this issue varied significantly between hospital sites.
Almost 55 per cent of hospitals had an increase in those waiting 18 months or longer at the end of last year when compared with the same period in 2024.
Galway University Hospitals had the highest number of people on waiting lists at the end of last year, and the highest number waiting this long, the analysis showed.
A spokeswoman for the hospitals acknowledged “challenges with theatre access” but said there are “targeted initiatives” to help reduce waiting times for specialities with significant backlogs.
Ennis hospital had 16 people waiting 18 months or longer in 2024, rising to 258 at the end of last year – an increase of 1,512 per cent.
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In Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, the number of patients in this category rose from 621 at the end of 2024 to 2,636 at the end of 2025. A spokeswoman said the hospital acknowledged this increase and actions were under way to reduce it.
Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda increased from 120 to 1,063 patients waiting this long. A spokeswoman for the hospital said it was “fully committed to improving elective access”.
A number of hospitals went from no people waiting 18 months or longer in 2024, to having waiting lists in this category.
These include Connolly hospital in Blanchardstown (107), Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore (70), National Maternity Hospital (70) and Cork University Maternity Hospital (3).
A number of smaller hospitals reduced their list of 18+ months down to zero, including Bantry, Cavan, Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital and St John’s Hospital in Limerick. Louth County Hospital had no patients in this category at the end of both 2024 and 2025.
Asked whether the Department of Health was satisfied with progress in tackling waiting times, a spokesman said waiting performance in 2025 “proved challenging”.
There were increases in waiting list volumes for “most of the year” and positive movement only emerged towards year end, she said, but this momentum has “not continued into 2026″.
“The latest figures published by the NTPF indicate that waiting list volumes increased in January, in line with expected multiannual trends linked to the winter surge in demand for unscheduled and emergency care.”
The spokeswoman said the Minister for Health in January published the 2026 waiting time action plan, “reaffirming the Government’s ongoing commitment to improving access to hospital care and reducing waiting times for patients”.
She added that there had been “meaningful progress” on this issue since 2021, noting the number of patients waiting more than 12 months has reduced by about 56 per cent since then, representing about 157,000 fewer people.
