Alarm As One In five Women Waiting Longer Than 10-Day Target For Urgent Breast Clinic Appointments

Wicklow-Wexford TD Malcolm Byrne has voiced concern after new figures revealed that more than one in five women referred for an urgent breast clinic appointment this year were left waiting longer than the recommended timeframe.

The figures, supplied by the HSE, show that up to June of this year, 15,629 women were newly referred to symptomatic breast disease clinics and triaged as requiring an urgent appointment.

Of those, 12,286 were seen within the recommended ten-day window, while 1,920 women waited between 11 and 15 days. A further 936 waited between 16 and 20 days, and 482 women were left waiting more than three weeks for an appointment.

In total, 3,388 women — roughly 21% of all urgent referrals — waited longer than the ten-day period set out under national guidelines.

Under the National Cancer Strategy, more than 95% of patients attending symptomatic breast disease clinics are supposed to be seen within ten working days.

Deputy Byrne said early intervention in suspected cancer cases is critical, and that every patient flagged as urgent should be seen within two weeks.

While he acknowledged that the health service generally performs well in responding to suspected cancer cases, he said he remains concerned about the number of patients facing longer delays and what that could mean for them.

The figures also point to significant delays throughout last year. Of the 30,100 women triaged for urgent appointments in 2025, 18,443 were seen within ten days, but 5,755 waited more than 21 days.

The HSE has stressed that the figures relate to patients being assessed for suspected breast cancer, and that the majority of those referred will not go on to receive a cancer diagnosis.