{"id":422068,"date":"2026-04-28T18:53:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/422068\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T18:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:53:07","slug":"uhw-dermatology-waiting-list-crisis-worsens-as-staffing-shortages-deepen-we-are-wlr-fm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/422068\/","title":{"rendered":"UHW dermatology waiting list crisis worsens as staffing shortages deepen – We are WLR FM"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UHW dermatology waiting list crisis is set to worsen, as growing demand and a looming staffing shortage place increasing pressure on services at University Hospital Waterford.<\/a><\/p>\n

GPs across the southeast have been formally notified of the situation, with concerns that access to dermatology care could become even more limited in the coming months.<\/p>\n

GPs warned of growing pressure on dermatology services<\/p>\n

Dr Austin Byrne of Tramore Medical Clinic says a letter issued to GPs outlines a \u201cdire situation\u201d developing within dermatology services at University Hospital Waterford.<\/p>\n

According to Dr Byrne, demand for dermatology care is already far exceeding available capacity, with the department currently operating with three consultants, a number set to drop further.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are currently three consultants and one is due to retire in May, leaving just two to deal with a service that has been under pressure for years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The reduction in staffing comes amid significant population growth and rising referral rates, contributing to what is now the largest dermatology waiting list in the country.<\/p>\n

Thousands waiting for treatment at UHW<\/p>\n

The scale of the UHW dermatology waiting list crisis is reflected in current figures, with more than 7,000 people awaiting appointments.<\/p>\n

Of those, over 2,600 patients have been waiting longer than 18 months, while more than 1,400 are within the initial zero to three-month category.<\/p>\n

Dr Byrne noted that referral volumes are estimated at between 400 and 500 cases per month, placing further strain on an already stretched service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers are staggering. UHW accounts for almost a third of the longest dermatology waits nationally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Impact on patients and access to care<\/p>\n

While the majority of dermatology conditions are managed in general practice, more complex cases including severe psoriasis, paediatric dermatology and certain skin cancers require specialist hospital care.<\/p>\n

Dr Byrne warned that delays in accessing treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers and other serious conditions could have significant consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re now in a situation where patients who need care in a matter of weeks are facing much longer delays,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that many patients are being forced to seek private treatment, often travelling to Dublin or Cork at significant personal cost due to the lack of local private dermatology services.<\/p>\n

Cancer pathways under pressure<\/p>\n

Despite the pressures, urgent pathways for suspected melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer are being maintained.<\/p>\n

However, concerns remain around access for other forms of skin cancer, which also require timely assessment and treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are efforts to protect the melanoma pathway, but other cancer cases are where delays are becoming a real concern,\u201d Dr Byrne explained.<\/p>\n

Call for national intervention and support<\/p>\n

Dr Byrne has called for support from the wider HSE structure, suggesting that regional resources may need to be utilised to address the shortfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need support from further up the chain. This has been building for a long time and now requires urgent intervention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Political response calls for urgent workforce plan<\/p>\n

Sinn F\u00e9in TD David Cullinane has also raised concerns about the UHW dermatology waiting list crisis, calling for immediate action from Government and the HSE.<\/p>\n

Deputy Cullinane said the situation reflects a broader failure to plan for healthcare staffing needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis staffing crisis will present serious barriers for patients in Waterford and the South East,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He warned that the reduction in consultant numbers, potentially to just two, including one part-time, is far below what is required to meet demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cUHW should have at least five consultant dermatologists to meet clinical need in the region,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Concerns over increasing reliance on private care<\/p>\n

Deputy Cullinane also highlighted concerns that patients are being pushed towards private healthcare due to lack of public capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not acceptable that GPs are now being told to find alternative care options for their patients,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will involve long travel times and will push more people into the private system simply because of poor planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing urgency as staffing levels fall<\/p>\n

With a consultant set to retire in the coming weeks, concerns are mounting that the UHW dermatology waiting list crisis could deepen further without immediate intervention.<\/p>\n

Calls are now being made for a strategic workforce plan to ensure adequate staffing levels and to prevent further deterioration of services in the southeast.<\/p>\n

For the latest Waterford\u00a0News<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sport<\/a>, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UHW dermatology waiting list crisis is set to worsen, as growing demand and a looming staffing shortage…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":422069,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60],"class_list":["post-422068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=422068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/422068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/422069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=422068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=422068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=422068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}