A dedicated paediatric outpatients department has been officially opened at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh to help deal with lengthening waiting lists.
The unit at the Finglas hospital in Dublin will treat children aged two to 16 who are waiting for orthopaedic appointments and post-surgery reviews.
Surgeons at Cappagh Kids work across Crumlin and Temple Street children’s hospitals. It is anticipated that seeing patients in Cappagh for pre-op and post-op appointments will free up capacity in Temple Street to deal with other conditions.
There were 1,018 paediatric outpatient attendances at the hospital over the past year, a significant increase on the previous year.
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Specialist-trained paediatric nurses and allied health professionals have been recruited to cater to increased patient numbers at the unit. The facility includes consultation rooms, staging area, therapy gym, conference room as well as waiting areas and office space.
“With our dedicated and specialist paediatric staff who have brought a wealth of experience to this unit we are now able to see patients in a bright and cheerful purpose built unit,” said Paul Connolly, clinical director at Cappagh. “Feedback from patients and staff has been universally positive.”
There were 3,105 children nationally waiting for an outpatient orthopaedic appointment at the end of July, including 843 who have been waiting for more than a year.
A total of 515 children are waiting for orthopaedic appointments, including 61 waiting for more than 12 months, figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund show.
