HSE cancels nearly 220,000 appointments, CUH leads with 35,000

In the first nine months of the year the Health Service Executive (HSE) cancelled almost 220,000 medical appointments, with Cork University Hospital (CUH) accounting for the highest number of cancellations at 35,436.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson TD David Cullinane said the cancellations average about 800 per day and peaked in July, when more than 27,000 appointments were called off nationwide. That month also saw a record‑breaking 10,000 people on emergency department trolleys.

The HSE explained that reasons for cancellations are recorded in each hospital’s patient records but are not held centrally. It added that cancellations can arise from a “myriad of reasons”, including short‑notice changes to clinics, unforeseen circumstances such as extreme weather, industrial action or resource constraints.

Data for the HSE South‑West region show 49,225 cancellations between January and September, 72 % of which occurred at CUH. The breakdown includes 28,462 return outpatient appointments, 5,256 new outpatient appointments and 540 elective inpatient admissions. CUH’s monthly cancellations have not fallen below 3,665, with July reaching a peak of 4,447.

St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin recorded the second‑highest cancellations at 27,188. Cullinane urged Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to ensure that reasons for cancellations are reported nationally and that hospitals receive adequate staffing and resources.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Denniz Futalan / Pexels.