The Department of Health has said 10,000 fewer patients are on hospital waiting lists compared to a year ago.

The figures are contained in a progress update issued by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF).

It says over the past year, the total number of patients waiting for an inpatient or day case procedure has reduced by 9,955 - since peaking at the end of July 2017 - to 76,156.

It says: "This reduction is most apparent in the number waiting more than nine months, which has reduced by 7,715 in the same period."

While in the first seven months of this year, 12,008 people on the inpatient/day case waiting list have accepted NTPF offers of treatment.

Health Minister Simon Harris has welcomed the progress report, and the reductions in waiting lists for operations and procedures.

He says: "The Government has increased investment in the NTPF to €50m in 2018 because of the priority of reducing long waiting lists and times.

"Building on the progress achieved last year, there are now almost 10,000 fewer people waiting for hospital operations or procedures than in July last year.

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"Significantly, the number of patients waiting longer than nine months has been reduced by almost 8,000."

He says the NTPF has achieved progress in targeting high volume procedures like cataracts, angiograms, skin lesions, hip/knee replacements, varicose veins, tonsillectomies and cystoscopies.

He adds: "For example in the last year the cataract waiting list has been reduced by almost 3,000.

"We are also undertaking new initiatives like the Nenagh Cataract Clinic which commenced this month.

"This new service is expected to deliver 250 extra cataract procedures this year and up to 10 times that next year."

He says while the outpatient waiting list presents "a significant challenge" he will be "taking targeted actions on it in the same way as we have on the inpatient/day case list."