The national Waiting List Action Plan for 2025, released by Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, lays out new goals to reduce waiting lists by the end of this year, reports RTE.
By the end of the current year, 50% of patients are expected to have waited less than the Sláintecare objectives of 10 weeks for their initial outpatient appointment and 12 weeks for inpatient or day care.
By the end of the year, it also aims to reduce the “weighted average waiting time” for a scheduled procedure to 5.5 months, reports RTE.
In order to demonstrate how the national goals can be met in their localities, each of the six newly created Health Regions will now need to create a Regional Waiting List Action Plan.
The national action plan says that “the targets set out in this document are national targets and it is acknowledged that there will be variation in achievement across Regions and specialties due to contextual factors and challenges”, r r
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According to the latest nationwide waiting lists, as of the end of December 2024, more over 808,000 individuals were on the waiting list for medical attention.
In December 2023, the total number was more over 801,000.
Long waiters, or those who have been waiting for more than a year, have been declining, reports RTE.
The majority of the 808,000 patients on the current national hospital waiting list—557,187—are scheduled to visit a consultant for the first time for evaluation in an outpatient department.
The new strategy calls for a 90% rise in the percentage of patients seen in outpatient clinics and waiting less than a year.
By the end of this year, it also hopes to cut the percentage of patients who are waiting more than 24 months or who are at danger of waiting more than 24 months by 90%, reports RTE.
This year, €420 million was been out for waiting list efforts under Budget 2025.
The National Treatment Purchase Fund will get €230 million of this, while the HSE will receive €190 million, reports RTE.
Every year, more individuals are being added to waiting lists at hospitals around the country.
More over 1.8 million individuals were added to the lists last year, a 5.6% increase from the year before, reports RTE.
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