Changes to the way hospital waiting lists are managed could have an impact on patients across the region, according to an internal HSE report.
The report warns that ending insourcing, where external companies use public hospital staff or facilities to provide treatment outside normal hours, could affect thousands of patients.
The practice has been used as a way of increasing capacity and reducing waiting times, but no new insourcing arrangements have been allowed to begin since June 30th.
The HSE West and North West says planned surgical hubs, including one in the region and two further hubs in Donegal and Sligo, will play an important role in tackling waiting lists.
It says clinical reviews of patients waiting more than two years are also underway as part of a national effort to reduce long waits for care.
