October waiting time figures have just been released for Ireland, and they are an interesting contrast with those in England. (And not just because England is only today releasing its September figures.)

Adjusted for population, the English and Irish waiting lists are similar sizes. Yet waiting times are very different, with far more long waiting patients (over 18 months) in Ireland than in England.

How can this be?

Waiting times do not only depend on the size of the waiting list. If patients are seen and treated out of turn, or if some services are under much greater pressure than others, then the number of long waiters will be higher. At national level, it’s the second factor that dominates.

The time trends are also different between the two countries. In Ireland the number waiting for outpatient appointments has been falling over the last three years, whereas in England it has been growing. The Irish are to be congratulated for this: reducing outpatient waits is a clinical safety issue, because these patients have not yet been diagnosed, and for some of them the diagnosis will unexpectedly turn out to be cancer.

Whichever side of the Irish sea you are on, the high level solutions are the same: keep up with demand, treat patients broadly in order of clinical priority and waiting time, and allocate resources accurately. Every one of those headings breaks down into huge amounts of detail.

We are familiar with that detail. Not only that, we have pioneered in it. If you would like to explore how to squeeze more out of all those headings without breaking the bank, then drop us a line. We can work with you on where the biggest gains can be made, to get your services on the road to full elective recovery.