A LOCAL TD has called for a multi-annual hospital plan to be put in place after being told that there were more than 5,000 patient appointments cancelled in the first six months of 2023 at a Limerick hospital.
But University Hospital Limerick (UHL) says this number does not mean that 5,000 people were left without an appointment as a portion of the cancellations come from patients themselves and when an appointment is cancelled another one is offered.
Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan has called for action to be
taken to address the challenge of overcrowding at UHL.
The Limerick TD made the call following being told, on foot of a parliamentary question, that 5,058 appointments were cancelled at the hospital in the first six months of 2023.
Deputy Quinlivan said: “Each cancelled appointment needs to be rescheduled, further increasing already long waiting times.”
“In their response to my question, the HSE acknowledged that admissions through the Emergency Department account for 83 per cent of inpatient beds, leaving little capacity for elective activity. The overcrowding at UHL is having a dramatic impact on patient
care for those awaiting hospital appointments.”
Deputy Quinlivan added: “We need a multi-annual plan to expand hospital capacity and develop a sustainable workforce.”
But a hospital spokesman said that the cancellation data does not measure whether a procedure or appointment did not go ahead, rather that the procedure/appointment happened on the date originally scheduled.
“Decisions to cancel appointments are not taken lightly, especially in the cases of patients who have already experienced long waiting times,” the spokesman explained.
“Cancelled hospital procedures/appointments are, where appropriate, rescheduled as early as possible with priority given to patients requiring time-sensitive and urgent treatment”.
“It should be noted that the data does not reliably indicate, and may significantly overstate, the actual number of outpatient appointments that were cancelled”.
“Appointments can be cancelled for a number of other reasons, including by the patients themselves or by their parents/guardians. In addition, in cases where appointments are cancelled multiple times and rescheduled, it is possible that one patient can have multiple cancellations in any given reporting period”.
“Generally speaking, planned reductions in scheduled care in January are provided for in our winter plan to allow for management of inpatient surges associated with seasonal viruses and other illnesses. The record surge in emergency presentations in early 2023 meant that additional deferrals were necessary,” the UHL spokesman concluded.
