Waiting List Action Plans
A key priority for the HSE is tackling long patient waiting times and ensuring timely access to treatment and care.
Our public hospitals provide a mix of both planned and emergency healthcare services at more than 50 hospitals in communities across the country.
While our hospital teams provide over 3.4 million outpatient consultations, emergency care to over 1.6 million people, day case care to over one million people and over 600,000 people are inpatients in hospital each year, waiting lists and waiting times exist in many specialties. We acknowledge that patients are waiting too long to be seen for outpatient consultations and for procedures.
As part of a multi-annual approach to tackling waiting lists, Waiting List Action Plans have been developed by the Department of Health, the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund which set out ambitious targets to improve waiting lists and waiting times by delivering additional activity across acute hospital and community settings.
The 2023 Waiting List Action Plan is our programme of work to deliver sustained reductions in waiting lists numbers and waiting times this year. €443 million has been allocated in 2023 to the HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund for extra public and private activity and enable longer term reform.