HSE failing to meet its radiation therapy targets Tue, 08 Sep, 2026 – 02:02Louise Burne
The HSE is failing to meet its target to deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients within 15 days, new figures have revealed.
The data from the HSE shows 692 people were not seen within the recommended time frame so far this year. Last year, nearly a quarter of people did not start their treatment within the recommended period.
The figures were provided to Social Democrats health spokesman Pádraig Rice, who expressed concern that ageing radiation machines across the country could result in further delays if action is not taken quickly.
The HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme confirmed to Mr Rice that its targets state that people should start receiving radiation treatment within 15 working days of being deemed ready to treat.
“The recommended target for operational compliance is 90%, as approximately 10% of patients can be expected to have more complex needs that confound or delay treatment,” Laoise Ryan, general manager of the National Cancer Control Programme, confirmed.
However, patients who opt to delay or defer treatment are not included in the figures for patients who started their treatment outside of the target window.
Between January and June, compliance stood at 81%. Of 3,621 patients receiving radiation therapy, 692 started their treatment after the 15-day target.
Compliance rates vary widely
The levels of compliance differed across locations. In Cork, compliance levels stood at 96%, while in Waterford they were at 99.1%.
In Dublin, compliance stood at just 66.9% for the first six months of this year across the St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network, which is comprised of St Luke’s Hospital Rathgar, St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network at St James’s Hospital, and St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network at Beaumont Hospital.
Compliance across the State in 2025 stood at 78.7%, far below the target of 90%.
Of 6,796 people who started radiation therapy last year, 1,582 (23%) started their treatment more than 16 days after they were first deemed suitable for treatment.
Mr Rice, who is also the chairperson of the Oireachtas Health Committee, told the Irish Examiner that “too many people are not receiving their cancer treatment on time”, and that while some places like Cork are performing well, other locations which are not providing radiation therapy on time are “dragging down the national average and patients in these areas are left waiting longer”.
Ageing radiation therapy equipment
He also expressed concerns about the health of Ireland’s 23 public radiation therapy machines.
He explained how in Dublin, 12 of 14 machines are “well-beyond” their 10-year lifespan, with four over 18-years-old.
“Earlier this year, the Health Committee was told that it will be 2031 by the time Dublin completes its equipment replacement programme,” Mr Rice said.
“The five machines in Cork are already five to six years old, while the four machines in Galway are four years old.
“A national rolling replacement programme, which the Government has finally committed to, must urgently be delivered to ensure that these entirely predictable problems are not repeated in the south west, or any other region, in the years to come.”
- Louise Burne, Political Correspondent
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