Validation of outpatient waiting lists paused during 2020 back up and running
Almost 30,000 patients were removed from the national outpatient waiting list as a result of validation carried out during the year.
Between January 1 and the end of December 2020, the latest figures show a total of 29,479 patients were removed from the outpatient waiting list as a result of validation.
The National Centralised Validation Unit within the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), advised the Department of Health that the validation of the waiting list process, suspended at the end of March 2020 due to Covid-19, recommenced six months ago at the beginning of August.
The highest number removed, following validation, was over 6,700 patients from the outpatient waiting lists for the South/South West Hospital Group hospitals in 2020; from Saolta Hospital Group’s six hospitals outpatient waiting lists were trimmed back by almost 6,200 following validation; over 5,700 patients were removed from Dublin Midlands Hospital group’s hospitals outpatient waiting list; just over 4,700 were removed from UL Hospitals Group; slightly over 3,800 from outpatient waiting lists for Ireland East Hospital Group hospitals – none were removed from the outpatient waiting list for St. Vincent’s University Hospital – and over 1,200 from the Children’s Health Ireland’s three paediatric hospitals.
At the same time, while less than 1,000 patients were removed from outpatient waiting lists at RCSI Hospital Group hospitals, no patients were removed last year from outpatient waiting lists for three of the RCSI group hospitals: Beaumont Hospital, Cavan and Monaghan Hospital and Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda.
During 2020, just over 200 were removed from the outpatient waiting list at Connolly Hospital and almost 800 from the outpatient waiting list at the Rotunda Hospital.
Validation is described as the process whereby hospital administration contacts patients on waiting lists at pre-planned intervals during the year to ensure that patients are ready, willing, suitable and available to attend a hospital appointment or wish to be removed from the waiting list.
