Spinal Surgery Updates

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

• Full report
• 139 patients actively waiting. These patients are ready for surgery and waiting for a scheduled date for admission in the future.
• 446 spinal surgeries carried out to date.
• There has been a 55% reduction in patients waiting over 12 months, and there is continued focus on reducing the length of time children are waiting for surgery.
• The waiting list isn’t 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. Between January and October 2025, 446 people received their spinal operations, while 462 new patients were added. The list changes constantly, reflecting both progress and rising demand.

🏥 Complex Care Spinal Surgery Pathway

All spinal surgery patients are prioritised based on diagnosis, spinal deformity, co-morbidities, and age.

CHI has implemented a Complex Care Spinal Surgery Pathway for children requiring multidisciplinary assessment and optimisation before surgery, ensuring coordinated and safe care.

New information has been published for patients, parents and guardians about this Complex Care Spinal Surgery Pathway.

Thank you to members of the Patient Panel for their time in co-designing this content.

🤝 Neurodisability Pilot Project

The SSMU launched a 3-month pilot project in September to enhance care for children with complex neurodisability undergoing spinal surgery. This initiative introduces a dedicated medical team to manage post-op care, aligning with international best practice. This pilot has enhanced the post-op management for these children and avoids delayed medical intervention and readmission to ICU.

✅ Theatre Maximisation

We continue to focus on access to operating theatres to increase spinal surgical activity. Ahead of moving to the National Children's Hospital Ireland, we aim to equip a second theatre in CHI Crumlin to be able to perform additional Spinal Fusion procedures in 2026.

👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Recruitment (October Update)

Three new Orthopaedic Surgeon posts, one Consultant Paediatrician and one Consultant Plastic Surgeon post are currently being recruited for.

📅 48% reduction in patients waiting for their first outpatient appointment

CHI’s Spinal Surgery Management Unit is actively working to reduce waiting times for children attending spinal outpatient clinics. A key priority has been to ensure that those waiting longest are given appointments.

Additional capacity, including weekend clinics, has reduced the outpatient waiting list for new patients to 250 in September 2025 (a 48% reduction from January 2025).

✈️ Spinal Surgery Abroad

If your child is on the active waiting list for spinal surgery, you may have received a letter about exploring the option of surgery abroad. You can find more information here.

🗂️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.