The number of patients removed from outpatient waiting lists at Roscommon University Hospital dropped significantly in 2024, falling to 982 from 1,782 in 2023 and 1,895 in 2022.
The figures, provided by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) in response to a parliamentary question by Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow), highlight a continued decline in waiting list removals at the hospital over the past three years.
Roscommon’s figures follow a broader national trend in which outpatient waiting list removals peaked in 2023 at 115,341 patients before seeing a slight decrease to 115,311 in 2024.
The validation process, conducted by the NTPF, ensures that waiting lists are regularly reviewed, with hospitals contacting patients to confirm whether they still require their scheduled appointments. If patients indicate they no longer need the appointment or fail to respond, they are removed from the list.
Regional comparison
In comparison to Roscommon University Hospital, both Sligo University Hospital and Midland Regional Hospital Mullingar also experienced declines in waiting list removals, though their overall numbers remained higher.
Sligo recorded 3,620 removals in 2024, down from 4,619 in 2023 and 5,048 in 2022, showing a steady but less pronounced drop than Roscommon.
Mullingar, meanwhile, saw 2,032 patients removed in 2024, also down from 2,674 the previous year.
The figures indicate that while waiting list validation continues across all hospitals, the rate at which patients are being removed is decreasing in many areas. This could be due to improved list accuracy, meaning fewer duplicate or outdated entries, or a greater proportion of patients still requiring treatment.
National trends
Nationally, the number of outpatient waiting list removals remained relatively stable in 2024 at 115,311, following a peak of 115,341 in 2023.
The largest hospital contributors to these removals included Galway University Hospital (14,665), Beaumont Hospital (4,930), and St Vincent’s University Hospital (5,805).
The validation process, which was first centralised under the NTPF in 2018, aims to reduce waiting times and improve efficiency in scheduling appointments. The practice, previously handled at individual hospital level, is now a nationally coordinated system designed to ensure that hospital resources are allocated as efficiently as possible.
Despite efforts to streamline waiting lists, the continued high numbers of removals indicate ongoing pressures on Ireland’s hospital system, particularly in outpatient care. As waiting list management remains a key issue for the Department of Health, the focus will likely remain on reducing appointment backlogs and ensuring that those in need of care receive timely access to hospital services.
