Over 200 orthopaedic surgeries were cancelled at LUH due to overcrowding in 2025
There were 300 orthopaedic surgery cancellations at LUH in 2025, 210 by the hospital, 85 by consultant teams and five on behalf of patients
More than 200 orthopaedic surgeries were cancelled at Letterkenny University Hospital last year due to Emergency Department overcrowding.
The figures were shared at the Regional Health Forum West on Tuesday after chairman Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry McMonagle pressed HSE management on why so many patients had their procedures called off.
There were 300 orthopaedic surgery cancellations at LUH in 2025, with 210 admissions cancelled by the hospital itself.
A further 85 were cancelled by consultant teams, while five were cancelled by or on behalf of patients.
There are now 1,513 day cases and 295 inpatients on the orthopaedics waiting list, with 77 day case patients waiting more than a year.
The meeting heard that when the hospital is in "escalation" due to high attendances at the Emergency Department, the orthopaedics day centre is used as an overflow area, which leads to planned procedure cancellations.
Dermot Monaghan, Integrated Health Area Manager for Donegal, said the hospital is trying to cut the amount of time it spends in escalation so day surgery lists can continue.
“We assure you that all efforts will be made to catch up on those patients in terms of their appointments being cancelled,” he said.
“We would be hoping to get that number reduced this year.”
Councillor McMonagle asked what is being done to reduce the waiting list, to which Mr Monaghan said that efforts are underway.
“For the last two weeks, we’ve been able to run full lists because we’ve not been in escalation,” he said.
“We’ll be hoping to continue that throughout the rest of the year.”
He said that cancer and time-critical surgeries continue to be prioritised at the hospital.
Mr Monaghan added that the planned ambulatory surgical hub will help ease pressure in the future.
“We’re in the process of going for planning permission for our ambulatory surgical hub, which will be ring-fenced totally for day procedures and different types of surgery,” he said.
“That will be part of the solution as well.”