HSE Waiting List Crisis
Ireland's public hospitals face record waiting lists driven by consultant shortages and rising demand. ERemedium's patient education tools help every consultant see more patients, reduce repeat visits, and make every minute of care count.
Data: National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), February 2026
Understanding the Problem
The waiting list crisis has structural roots that cannot be solved overnight. But the impact of each bottleneck can be reduced with the right tools at the point of care.
~400 unfilled posts
Ireland needs 1,500+ additional consultants. At 176 new posts per year, it will take a decade to close the gap. One in six consultants works on a temporary locum basis.
2.9 per 1,000 vs 4.3 OECD avg
Ireland has the highest hospital bed occupancy rate in the OECD with the fewest beds per capita, leaving no capacity to absorb the growing backlog.
1.93M added in 2025 alone
Population growth, ageing demographics, increased health awareness, and post-COVID pent-up demand are adding patients faster than the system can treat them.
Top 10 hospitals hold 59.4%
Beaumont (64,576), Galway (63,800), the Mater (53,268), and Waterford (52,524) carry enormous patient loads while smaller hospitals are underutilised.
Hardest-Hit Specialties
These six specialties account for the majority of long-wait patients. They are also where visual patient education has the highest impact on consultation efficiency.
| Specialty | Total Waiting | Waiting 12+ Months | ERemedium Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orthopaedics | 91,255 | 16.1% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
| Dermatology | 61,938 | 26.1% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
| Ophthalmology | 57,657 | 21.0% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
| ENT | 52,264 | 15.5% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
| Cardiology | 47,006 | 11.6% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
| Endocrinology | 22,521 | 38.5% | MedXPlain + MedComm + Medio |
Data: NTPF February 2026. ERemedium covers 26+ medical specialties with 5,000+ 3D animations.
The ERemedium Approach
Our tools work together across the entire patient visit — from waiting room to consultation to home — reducing time spent per patient while improving understanding and outcomes.
Pre-educate patients before they see the consultant
Medio is a cloud-managed waiting room TV platform deployed in 10,000+ centres globally. It replaces idle screens with specialty-matched health education, so patients arrive at the consultation already understanding the basics.
Make every consultant minute count
MedComm is a 22-inch touchscreen placed on the doctor's desk for structured visual patient counselling. Consultants tap through 3D anatomy, disease progression, procedure steps, and recovery — replacing hand-drawn sketches with clear, consistent explanations.
Patients remember, comply, and don't come back confused
MedXPlain is a 3D medical animation app with 5,000+ videos across 26 specialties. Consultants share animations via WhatsApp or email so patients can review their condition, procedure, and recovery plan at home — reducing confusion-driven callbacks and re-referrals.
Quantified Impact
Conservative estimates based on current HSE outpatient volumes of ~15,000 daily appointments across 45 hospitals.
If visual education saves an average of 4 minutes per consultation across 15,000 daily outpatient appointments
Equivalent capacity created without hiring a single additional consultant
Better-informed patients are less likely to be re-referred or attend unnecessary follow-ups
Informed, confident patients are more likely to attend their scheduled appointments
| Stage | Product | HSE Problem | Mechanism |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiting Room | Medio | 642K outpatient queue, long consultations | Pre-educates patients, reduces anxiety, shortens time-to-understanding |
| Consultation | MedComm | 400 unfilled consultant posts | Structured visual explanation saves 3–5 min per patient |
| Post-Visit | MedXPlain | 72% forget post-visit info | Shareable 3D animations reinforce understanding, reduce callbacks |
| Pre-Surgery | MedComm + MedXPlain | 114K surgical waiting list | Faster informed consent, fewer cancellations from anxiety |
| Follow-Up | MedXPlain | Repeat visits from confused patients | Home-reviewable content eliminates unnecessary follow-ups |
Priority Deployment
Target the 10 hospitals holding 59.4% of all patients and the 6 specialties with the worst backlogs. Deploy Medio in waiting areas within weeks, MedComm in consultant rooms, and MedXPlain on every clinician's phone.
These 10 hospitals represent 449,060 of the 756,377 patients waiting for HSE care.
Already Here
ERemedium already operates in Ireland and the UK, with solutions deployed across multiple countries. Our tools integrate into existing clinical workflows with zero disruption — no IT infrastructure, no EMR changes, no training weeks.
Whether you manage an HSE hospital, a clinic, or a specialty department — we can deploy within weeks. Talk to our Ireland team to start.
or email us at info@eremedium.ie