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Thelatest hospital waiting list figureswere published today by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

The multi-annual Action Plan approach initiated in September 2021 is focused on improving waiting times for patients, and theWaiting Time Action Plan (WTAP) 2026, embodies the Government’s commitment to reducing waiting times for patients, thereby improving access to hospital care.

The health service has seen significant progress in reducing the length of time patients are waiting under the multi-annual Action Plan approach, including a reduction of circa 48% or circa 136,600 less patients waiting over 12 months since September 2021. In the same period there was an improvement of circa 43% or 5.3 months in the Weighted Average Wait Time (WAWT) that patients across lists have been waiting.

Notwithstanding these longer-term improvements, waiting lists more recently have been impacted by the ongoing trend of higher demand and increased referrals, which has offset the significantly increased levels of activity that are being delivered in acute hospitals.

The Department will continue to work to improve waiting list performance through ongoing engagement with the HSE and the NTPF. This will include engagement through the Waiting Time Task Force, which is responsible for the governance and implementation of WTAP 2026.

The WTAP 2026 sets out 36 actions under three themes that will have a significant impact on waiting lists and real benefits for patients. Centralised referrals and pooled waiting lists are being implemented under the theme of “Reforming Planned Care”. A number of digital and enabling technologies are being progressed under the theme of “Enabling Planned Care”, including continued expansion of virtual wards, and further roll out of features within the HSE Health App. Scheduled care capacity is being maximised under the theme of “Capacity Optimisation”, including the additional activity to be delivered through the new surgical hubs.

Scheduled care demand has grown significantly over recent years, surpassing pre-pandemic levels and demographic expectations. While the health service does not want waiting lists to grow, increased referrals to hospital services can also reflect improved access to needed care, greater awareness of available services and the expansion of services.

As such, the reform and enabling actions set out under the WTAP are integral to improving the delivery of scheduled care and will work in tandem with the delivery of increased capacity.

The multi-annual Action Plan approach was initiated in September 2021 to sustainably reduce and reform hospital waiting lists and waiting times.

The Government is committed to further reduce waiting times, targeting all patients to be seen within the Sláintecare target of 10 weeks for Outpatient Department (OPD) and 12 weeks for Inpatient / Day Cases (IPDC) and Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GI Scopes).

International bodies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), have emphasised that waiting time is a more important metric than total waiting list numbers in assessing the performance of a health service. Reducing waiting times brings a number of benefits from a patient perspective, including mitigating the risk of conditions worsening and leading to poorer health outcomes, and improving patient satisfaction in care provision.

The Department of Health, the HSE and the NTPF worked closely together to develop the specific actions and targets set out in this year’s Action Plan.

The maximum waiting time targets set out in the 2017 Sláintecare report of 10 weeks for an OPD appointment, and 12 weeks for an IPDC procedure, focus on the length of time patients are waiting rather than the number of patients on waiting lists.

While WTAP 2026 focuses on improving waiting times, changes in waiting list volumes remain an important measure of overall waiting list performance.