The number of children waiting for spinal surgery reduced to 199 patients last month, according to figures from Children’s Health Ireland (CHI).
At the end of July last year, 231 children were waiting for spinal surgery.
The average wait time for an outpatient department (OPD) appointment is 3.9 months, down from 7.4 months at the same time in 2025.
Some 104 patients are on the active spinal surgery waiting list, meaning they are completing preoperative assessments and will be scheduled for an admission date in the future.
RM Block
Seven patients have been waiting between 12 and 15 months for their procedure, two have been waiting for 18 to 24 months, and one child has been waiting between 24 and 36 months.
Since January, 229 procedures have been added to the surgical waiting list, while 279 spinal surgeries have been carried out during the same time frame.
“The waiting list changes constantly, reflecting both progress in providing care and ongoing demand for surgery,” a statement from CHI said on Friday.
At the end of last month, 431 patients were on the OPD waiting list, a 22.6 per cent reduction compared with 557 patients at the same point last year. The vast majority of patients (99.5 per cent) are waiting less than 12 months for their first OPD appointment, CHI said.
“These figures show the continued progress being made by our teams in reducing waiting times and ensuring children receive the care they need,” said CHI chief executive Lucy Nugent.
“As we prepare to move to the new children’s hospital, CHI continues to work to improve our services and communicate with children, young people, their families and the public better.”
Dave Moore, head of CHI’S spinal surgery management unit, said all patients were “prioritised for spinal surgery based on their diagnosis, size of spinal deformity, the presence of other conditions or co-morbidities, their age and the amount of growth they have left to do”.
“Since the beginning of the year, more spinal surgeries have been carried out than new procedures added to the waiting list, demonstrating the significant work taking place across our service,” he said.
“Behind every number is a child and a family who need our care, and our teams remain focused every day on providing that care as quickly and safely as possible.”
In 2017, then-minister for health Simon Harris promised that no child would wait more than four months for surgery to treat scoliosis.
