Spinal Surgery Updates

📋 CHI Spinal Surgery Waiting List & Activity Report for December 2025

• Full report
• 108 patients actively waiting. These patients are ready for surgery and waiting for a scheduled date for admission in the future.
• 534 spinal surgeries carried out to date.

While challenges remain, CHI’s spinal service has seen significant improvements in both surgical outcomes and in how we support families through their care journey. We will work to continue making improvements, minimising any delays, while maintaining high standards for the delivery of care for our patients.

Spinal Surgery Waiting Times: The waiting list is not static, it is like a moving queue. Every month, patients are receiving their surgery and leaving the list, but their space on the list is filled by another patient who is newly referred for care.

• The average wait time for spinal surgery is now approximately 5 (five) months.
  • 502 patients were added to the list between Jan-Nov 2025, while 488 spinal surgeries were carried out in the same timeframe. The list changes constantly, reflecting both progress and rising demand.
• 93.8% of patients waited less than 12 months on the active waiting list for their spinal surgery.
• 43.1% were within Sláintecare Target

Patient Safety: All patients are prioritised for spinal surgery based on their diagnosis, size of spinal deformity, the presence of other conditions/co-morbidities, their age and the amount of growth they have left to do. Spinal surgery patients are also divided into two distinct groups: “complex” and “non-complex”, and there are different pathways for both to ensure standardised, safe care for all patients. More information (created in collaboration with the Spinal Patient Panel) can be found on our website:

• Complex Care Spinal Surgery Pathway
• Adolescent Ideopathic Scoliosis Pathway

Outpatient Clinics: Additional capacity, including weekend clinics, has reduced the number of patients waiting for their first outpatient appointment to 260 (in November 2025). This is a 48% reduction since January 2025, when this figure was 483.

OPD wait time has significantly fallen from December 2024 when the wait time was 9.7 months on average to 3.9 months in December 2025.

We continue to prioritise patients waiting the longest to bring these times down further, in line with Sláintecare targets.

Non-surgical treatment pathways: Not all scoliosis patients require surgery, and many are treated through observation, casting, or bracing. We currently have no delays for children who need braces or casts.

Spinal treatment abroad: Uptake of spinal treatment abroad remains low, often due to family preference or follow-up considerations.

Since January 2024, 19 patients have been treated abroad, while more than 1,000 surgeries have been carried out by CHI’s spinal services in Ireland in the same timeframe.

All families are being offered overseas treatment if clinically appropriate.

🗂️Paediatric Spinal Surgery Taskforce minutes on gov.ie (external link)

For spinal service patients and families only.

• Children's Health Ireland acknowledges the publication of HIQA report
• Children's Health Ireland launches new Scoliosis Information Hub for patients and families
• Children's Health Ireland welcomes the publication and findings of Health Service Executive review on the implementation of Scoliosis and Spina Bifida Action Plans 2022 and 2023

Attention all GPs:

From August 2025, spinal referrals without an accompanying X-ray will not be accepted.

• Digital scoliosis GP referrals: Send your scoliosis referrals through Healthlink (using the "spinal" drop-down menu for CHI at Crumlin referrals)
• Resource Pack: This pack contains information on the advised approach to take when you suspect scoliosis in a paediatric patient (under 16)
• Minimum Data Set requirements: It is important that all spinal referrals that we receive from GPs contain specific datasets, find more information here.
• Ordering spinal X-ray: In cases of suspected scoliosis, having an X-ray accompany your GP referral letter significantly improves the triage process. See the GP resource pack above for more information.