UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick (UHL) is meeting three out of four national cancer appointment targets.
And the hospital says it has has upped its game in giving suspected lung cancer patients timely appointments and is now meeting national targets, having been worst in the country for doing so some months ago.
UHL saw an average of just over eight out of 10 (82.8 per cent) suspected lung cancer patients seen in the target time of 10 working days between March 2024 and February 2025 – short of a national target of 95 per cent.
That figure fell to 6.5 patients (60.5 per cent) in one of the months covered by the disturbing figures.
The numbers were released by the Irish Cancer Society (ICS) for the March 2024 to February 2025 period, with a warning that “cancer delays are causing avoidable deaths”.
In answer to a query on the matter from the Limerick Post a hospital spokesman said that the situation has considerably improved with UHL being fully compliant with targets in March, April, and May of this year.
“This not only meets but exceeds the nationally targeted key performance indicators of 95 per cent, and the management team anticipates this trend will continue,” the spokesman said.
The ICS received the data from Cllr Roger Kennedy via a question at the HSE Regional Health Forum South.
The ICS pointed out that the area in which UHL was worst performing in the country at the time, lung cancer, is “Ireland’s leading cause of cancer-related deaths each year”, and that as such “it is vital that these patients are seen to within recommended time frames”.
An area in which UHL had full compliance in the same period was in symptomatic breast cancer appointments. The national target is to see 95 per cent of patients within 10 working days. UHL exceeded that with 97.9 per cent.
UHL was again among the lowest in the country in reaching targets at its Urgent Prostate Rapid Access Clinic, in that period, seeing 84.3 per cent of patients out of the 90 per cent in 20 days target.
For radiation oncology, with a target of nine in 10 patients starting treatment within 15 days, the Mid Western Regional Limerick private centre at UHL met and exceeded the targets, seeing 93.4 per cent of patients.
Now, the ICS is calling for increased investment in Budget 2026 in cancer staff, buildings, and equipment to ensure target waiting times are met.
It described the variations across the country in accessing life-saving chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment on time as “shocking”, while the figures “also spotlight deeply concerning delays for patients who have been referred for urgent breast and prostate tests”.
Irish Cancer Society CEO Averil Power said that “early treatment dramatically reduces your risk of dying from cancer. A person’s chances of surviving cancer are up to four times higher when treated at Stage 1 than at Stage 4.”
“That’s why the National Cancer Strategy set targets waiting times for cancer tests and treatment,” Ms Power said, noting that “figures highlight alarming failures to meet those targets in many cancer centres, due to shortages of staff, physical space, and equipment.”
“They also reveal a shocking postcode lottery in Irish cancer care, with where you live determining how quickly you can access lifesaving tests and treatment.
“Research published in the British Medical Journal has found that every four-week delay in starting cancer treatment can increase mortality by 10 per cent. So, there is no question that these delays are causing avoidable deaths.”
For Rapid Access Clinics, according to the published figures, the key performance indicators only record the waiting time for the patient’s first appointment at the clinic. They do not capture how long they have to wait for diagnostic tests to determine if they have cancer. Increasingly, tests that would have been performed on the first appointment date are now not taking place until weeks or months later, the ICS said.
