THERE is welcome news for patients waiting for treatment within University Limerick Hospital Group facilities as the latest figures reveal huge cuts in waiting lists, with one Limerick hospital completely clearing its backlog in an important area.
According to the latest figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), at the end of June, St John’s Hospital in Limerick City had cleared 100 per cent of its waiting list for patients who have been waiting a year or more for a colonoscopy or gastroscopy.
The same figures showed that University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has reduced the number of patients waiting for an outpatient appointment by one third.
One year ago, the Waiting Lists Target Plan identified 43,437 patients waiting for an outpatient appointment at UHL. That number has now been reduced to 28,971.
Meanwhile, another hospital in the group, Croom Orthopaedic, has reduced the number of patients waiting to have an endoscopy by almost one quarter.
Nationally, the number of patients getting the appointments they need has exceeded expectations under the Plan. However, the number of new patients joining lists has also been higher than expected.
The HSE believes there is an element of post-pandemic surge involved in the new additions, explaining that while this was expected, new numbers coming onboard were 8 per cent higher than projected in the first five months of this year.
