Figures released by Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH) for 2024 have shown a sustained increase in activity but a reduction in waiting lists.
Despite an incredibly busy year, the HSE says the hospital has made significant progress in reducing wait lists.
In total there were 77,194 outpatient appointments (new and return) in LUH last year, an increase of 12,120 on the previous year.
There was also in increase in referral rates with 42,561 new patients added to the overall waiting list in 2024.
A statement from the HSE revealed “Despite these challenges the OPD wait lists decreased by 3% with a 61% decrease in those waiting more than 15 months.
“The overall number of patients waiting more than three years across all specialties, including outpatients, inpatients and day cases, reduced significantly by 100%.”
Letterkenny University Hospital however continued to see high attendances across 2024 with a particular rise in older patients who were admitted for care.
In the Emergency Department, the hospital saw an increase in older people (aged 75 and over) both attending the ED and requiring admission to hospital last year, these figures increased by 7% and 4% respectively in 2024.
Total attendance at the emergency department last year reached 54,149, a 5% increase on 2023.
However, despite the challenges of increased attendances, particularly in caring for our older population who can have complex care needs, the hospital achieved a 15% reduction in the number of patients waiting on trolley’s each day at 8am
Welcoming the reduction, Hospital Manager Sean Murphy said “Improving the wait times and care experience for our patients remains a priority and we are heartened to see that the initiatives we put in place to ensure patients access care as quickly as possible are bearing fruit.
“We will continue to work with our community colleagues to ensure timely discharge of patients who can continue their care at home or in the community, allowing us to focus on patients’ urgent care needs.”
Dermot Monaghan, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager for Donegal commended staff across the hospital for their ongoing work in reducing wait lists and improving the patient journey through the hospital.
He said “Letterkenny University Hospital remains incredibly busy, both in terms of those attending for acute care and for our patients awaiting follow up procedures.
“We continue to focus on providing the best access to care we can and will work hard to capitalise on these improvements. Working closely with community services will allow us to ensure our patients are receiving the best care in the right location.”
