PART 4: FORMAL AND INFORMAL SUPPORTS
Accessibility of Basic Health Services for Children
Timely access to healthcare is a key objective of the Department of Health and Children. 69
Measure
The number of children on hospital waiting lists.
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Key findings
- In April 2008, 2,537 children were known to be on a hospital waiting list awaiting treatment (see Table 105).
- The hospitals in the Dublin region account for approximately 50% of the total number of children waiting for treatment (1,281).
Table 105: Number of children on hospital waiting lists (surgical and medical),
by hospital and waiting time (April 2008)
| 3-6 months |
6-12 months |
Over 12 months |
Total | |
| Beaumont Hospital Dublin | 15 | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Cavan General Hospital | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Cork University Hospital | 29 | 99 | 40 | 168 |
| Kerry General Hospital | 3 | 6 | 1 | 10 |
| Letterkenny General Hospital | 19 | 17 | 12 | 48 |
| Mercy University Hospital, Cork | 8 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
| Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle | 39 | 22 | 12 | 73 |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore | 148 | 186 | 68 | 402 |
| Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Croom | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Monaghan General Hospital | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Naas General Hospital | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda | 64 | 51 | 29 | 144 |
| Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin | 273 | 311 | 139 | 723 |
| Our Lady's Hospital, Navan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital | 11 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Sligo General Hospital | 79 | 78 | 23 | 180 |
| South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| St. John's Hospital, Limerick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny | 8 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Tallaght Hospital (AMNCH) | 49 | 43 | 8 | 100 |
| The Children's University Hospital, Temple Street | 106 | 163 | 149 | 418 |
| University College Hospital, Galway | 94 | 61 | 2 | 157 |
| Waterford Regional Hospital | 19 | 5 | 0 | 24 |
| Wexford Hospital | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 978 | 1,071 | 488 | 2,537 |
Source: Patient Treatment Register, National Treatment Purchase Fund
Differences by waiting time
- In April 2008, 39% (978) of the 2,537 children awaiting treatment were on the hospital list for 3-6 months, 42% (1,071) for 6-12 months and 19% (488) for 1 year or more.
Differences by speciality
- Of the 2,537 children who were known to be on a hospital waiting list awaiting treatment in April 2008, 85% (2,150) were awaiting surgical treatment and 15% (387) were awaiting medical treatment.
- The 10 most common surgical procedures and their waiting times in 2007 at different hospitals are shown in Table 106.
Table 106: Paediatric patient waiting times (in months) for the 10 most common surgical procedures (2007)
| Tonsillectomy | Male circumcision | Myringotomy | Excision of skin lesion | Coronary angiogram | Adenidectomy | Removal of port wine stain | Surgical removal of tooth | Correction of a squint | Otoplasty (set back prominent ears) | |
| Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | Months | |
| Overall | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Bantry General Hospital | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Beaumont Hospital, Dublin | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Cappagh Orthopaedic Hospital | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cavan General Hospital | 2 | 1 | n/a | 14 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Cork University Hospital | n/a | 9 | n/a | 13 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 17 |
| Ennis General Hospital | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Kerry General Hospital | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Letterkenny General Hospital | n/a | 3 | n/a | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Mallow General Hospital | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Mercy University Hospital, Cork | n/a | 1 | n/a | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Croom | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Dooradoyle | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Nenagh | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar | n/a | 3 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore | 6 | n/a | 3 | n/a | n/a | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Monaghan General Hospital | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Naas General Hospital | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | n/a | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Our Lady's Hospital, Navan | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Portiuncula Hospital | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| Roscommon County Hospital | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital | 1 | n/a | 2 | 1 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| Sligo General Hospital | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | n/a | 9 | n/a | 6 | 5 | n/a |
| South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | n/a | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 |
| South Tipperary General Hospital | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| St. Colmcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown | n/a | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| St. John's Hospital, Limerick | 0 | n/a | n/a | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a |
| St. Luke's General Hospital, Kilkenny | n/a | 10 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Tallaght Hospital (AMNCH) | 4 | 1 | n/a | 3 | 0 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 |
| The Children's Hospital, Temple Street | 2 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 | n/a | 14 | 6 | 8 |
| University College Hospital, Galway | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | n/a | 2 | n/a | 2 |
| Waterford Regional Hospital | 3 | n/a | 2 | 1 | n/a | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Wexford Hospital | n/a | 1 | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
n/a means that the hospital is not reporting any patients as waiting for that procedure at the current time.
Source: Patient Treatment Register, National Treatment Purchase Fund
Technical notes
The Patient Treatment Register (PTR) is the first online verified database of public in-patient and day-case waiting lists in Ireland. It was developed with cooperation from the Department of Health and Children, the HSE and the public hospitals. The register has been operational since September 2005 and now includes information from 43 hospitals. In 2006, only 19 hospitals were included in the register.
Since the inception of the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in 2002, 10,839 children (8,378 in-patients and 2,461 out-patients) have been treated under the initiative (by end August 2008).
The participating hospitals in the PTR are:
Dublin/North/North-East HSE Region
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Dublin East Coast/Dublin South West/Midlands HSE Region
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Southern/South East HSE Region
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North West/West/Mid-West HSE Region
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Note: The table above includes children who have been assessed at an out-patient clinic as in need of a surgical or medical procedure; it does not include children who are waiting to be seen at an out-patient clinic.
