Exclusive: ‘Hidden waiting lists’

HSE omits tens of thousands of patients from official figures

Tens of thousands of patients are on “hidden waiting lists” around the country, with the true number of public patients awaiting treatment significantly higher than official data suggests.

An ongoing investigation by this newspaper into waiting lists has discovered that tens of thousands of patients are waiting for potentially life-saving diagnostic tests used to detect common conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

These numbers are not being incorporated into national waiting list ...