Cork University Hospital records highest appointment cancellations in Ireland

The Health Service Executive cancelled nearly 220,000 medical appointments across Ireland between January and September 2026, the Irish Examiner reported. Cork University Hospital recorded the highest number of cancellations of any hospital in the country during this period, accounting for 35,000 cancelled appointments. [1]

The Irish Examiner reported that 49,225 appointments were cancelled in the Health Service Executive South-West region over the nine-month period. Cork University Hospital accounted for 72 percent of all cancellations in that region. The Health Service Executive stated that it could not provide reasons for the cancellations because that information is recorded within individual patient records rather than held centrally. [1]

The hospital has faced ongoing operational difficulties. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill questioned why Cork University Hospital failed to reduce overcrowding despite hiring 233 new staff members. Other hospitals that received similar staffing increases successfully reduced their trolley counts. [6]

The cancellations follow recent pressure on the Cork facility. According to the Southern Star, Health Service Executive South recently advised that only urgent cases should attend the emergency department at Cork University Hospital. [4]