Location in SystemView: Overview > WLAP > Outpatients > Summary
What is it?
The WLAP: Outpatients Spotlight gives you a real-time view of your outpatient waitlist performance. It helps you monitor progress, identify risks, and plan bookings more effectively — all in line with national targets.
Why it matters
Track your waitlist. Improve access. Support your patients.
Outpatient waiting lists are a key pressure point. Delays impact patient experience and outcomes. The WLAP Overview empowers teams to take control of their wait lists, deliver on national commitments, and improve the patient journey all from a single, real-time view.
This feature makes it easy to:
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See where your hospital or specialty stands against national goals
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Take action early to prevent delays
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Focus your time and effort where it’s needed most
National Targets refer to Ireland’s WLAP 2025 goals – see more in the section below.
National Targets Tracked
The spotlight tracks daily progress against four key National Targets for 2025:
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Reduce the average wait time to 5.5 months
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Ensure 90% of patients wait less than 12 months
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Reduce patients waiting over 24 months by 90%
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Ensure 50% of patients wait less than 10 weeks in line with Sláintecare targets
How to Use It
Filter to focus on your service
Use filters to tailor the view by:
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Clinic Type
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Specialty
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Category
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Referral Source
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Age Group
Use filters to narrow the results to just your team’s patients. Multiple filters can be applied at once.
Check how you’re tracking
Use the summary tiles and charts to view performance by specialty, sorted by number of patients or compliance with targets.
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How many patients are waiting in each time band (<10 weeks, <12 months, >24 months)
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Which specialties have the longest waits
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Daily trends and changes over time
Export patient lists
You can download patient-level data to support booking, planning or reporting. This helps teams create targeted booking strategies or flag risk cases.
Exports are available by clicking the ‘Export’ icon in the top right.
How it helps you
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Saves time: No spreadsheets or manual tracking required
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Highlights risks: Easily spot patients approaching or breaching targets
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Improves planning: Prioritise bookings based on real-time data
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Drives accountability: Share progress with leaders, regions, and colleagues
Best Practice: How Often Should I Use It?
To get the most from the WLAP: Outpatients Spotlight, we recommend the following routine:
| What to Do | How Often | Who Should Do It | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Review the WLAP Outpatients view | Weekly | Unit managers, clinic leads | Plan bookings, monitor performance |
| Spot-check high-pressure services | Daily | Admin staff, operations teams | Escalate delays or risks early |
| Export patient lists | Weekly | Booking teams | Prioritise based on wait time and target risk |
| Share insights or progress | Weekly | Team leads, directors, coordinators | Drive improvement and support conversations |
Tips for Success
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Use filters to zero in on your clinic or specialty
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Focus first on long-wait or high-risk patients
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Check for improvements or declines using the trend view
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Regular use leads to better access and fewer breaches
Take a Quick Tour
Click through the guide below to see how the Outpatients Summary tool works in action.