HSE Audit Reveals Majority of Children Face Healthcare Delays, Some Up to 699 Days
A HSE audit shows most children face healthcare delays, with 59% of spinal patients and 41% of urology patients treated outside recommended times. Delays ranged up to 699 days. While no preferential treatment for private patients was found, significant waiting time disparities exist.
A Health Service Executive (HSE) internal audit and narrative report, published Monday, reveals that long waiting times for children's healthcare are common, not exceptional. The EY-conducted audit, covering January 2023 to May 2025, examined orthopaedic, urology, and respiratory medicine, finding delays beyond recommended time frames due to capacity and workforce pressures.
For spinal patients, only 41% (9 of 22) were treated within clinically recommended times (CRTs), meaning 59% faced delays from 14 to 699 days, with a median of 143 days. In urology, 41% of 73 patients were treated outside CRTs, with a median delay of 152 days. One «non-urgent» urology case waited from 2017 until 2024 for treatment.
While no evidence of preferential treatment for private patients was found, an orthopaedic and spinal consultant had an 8.7-month waiting time for public patients in July 2024, versus two months for private patients. As of October 2025, 73% of children on Children Health Ireland outpatient and 67% on inpatient urgent referral lists did not receive appointments within the 28-day CRT.