OVER 584,000 PATIENTS were waiting for a first hospital outpatient consultation as of the end of December.

Of these 584,626 patients waiting for a first appointment at a consultant-led Outpatient clinic, over 94,000 have been on the list for over 18 months.

That’s according to the latest public hospital waiting list data, which was published today by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). 

It’s a 5.3% decrease on figure at the end of 2021, when 617,448 were waiting for a first hospital outpatient consultation.

Elsewhere, 81,568 “active” patients were waiting for an appointment for inpatient or day case treatment, nearly 8,000 of whom have been on a waiting list for over 18 months.

Patients waiting for an appointment date for their treatment are categorised as “active” by the NTPF.

24,029 patients were also waiting to receive an appointment for their GI Endoscopy.

This figure has also decreased over the past year, and stood at 27,145 at the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, 58,081 patients were “suspended” from waiting lists.

Reasons for patients being classified as suspended included patients who are temporarily unfit or unable to attend due to clinical, personal, or social reasons.