CHI «Falling Short» on Care, 73% of Urgent Outpatient Referrals Miss 28-Day Target
A HSE report found Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is failing to meet waiting time targets, with 73% of urgent outpatient referrals missing the 28-day clinical deadline by October 2025. The audit revealed systemic issues in waiting list management. CHI has initiated a 32-action plan to address the recommendations.
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is «falling short» of its goal to provide «best-in-class care,» according to an internal audit and narrative review published by the Health Service Executive (HSE) on Monday. The reviews, commissioned due to allegations of waiting list mismanagement and misuse of public funds, found CHI is «failing to meet waiting time targets, including for critical and time-sensitive urgent referrals.»
As of October 2025, 73% of children on outpatient waiting lists and 67% on inpatient waiting lists with urgent referrals did not receive appointments within the clinically recommended 28 days. For semi-urgent referrals, 64% (outpatient) and 60% (inpatient) missed the 13-week target. Overall, 57% of children received late appointments, indicating «waiting time breaches are systemic rather than exceptional.» The report concluded CHI is not meeting its objective to minimize risk and achieve best clinical outcomes.
The audit, covering January 2023 to May 2025, reviewed orthopaedics, urology, and respiratory medicine. It found no clear evidence of inequity in access but identified systemic issues in waiting list governance, transparency, and assurance. CHI CEO Lucy Nugent acknowledged the need to «continue to improve access times.» CHI has developed a 32-action plan, with 20 actions fully or partially complete, to address the recommendations.