The hospital waiting list watchdog says a number of clinics are breaking the 'next in line' policy of the government.

According to a briefing document by the National Treatment Purchase Fund, a majority of 22 hospitals audited are engaged in 'queue-jumping'.

It comes a week after the health minister admitted that many waiting lists are 'badly managed' by Irish hospitals.

According to the Irish Independent, this report by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) saw 22 hospitals audited about how they are managing the 10,000 people waiting over a year for an operation.

It has found that a majority of those clinics are not prioritising those who have been waiting the longest, which goes against the 'next in line' policy of the Department of Health.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar last week admitted that "people were being put on the long finger for longer", while hospitals say every case should be judged on its merit and criticised the guidelines.

The NTPF also noted that many hospitals are failing to be strict with the 40,000 people who fail to turn up for outpatient appointments every month, and are failing to plan to ensure capacity meets demand.

A further 18 hospitals will be audited by the end of the year.