Waiting list figures show ‘precarious state’ of health service in NI

Latest hospital waiting list figures in Northern Ireland show that the health service in the region remains in a “precarious state”, surgeons have said.

The Department of Health’s quarterly waiting list figures show that more than 340,000 people were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatients appointment across four of the five health trust areas on June 30.

More than half of those patients have been waiting for more than a year.

However, the figures are incomplete due to the rollout of new electronic patient record system Encompass.

So far, the South Eastern and Belfast Trusts have rolled out Encompass, while the Northern, Southern and Western trusts have still to adopt it.

The 340,000 figure includes the three areas which have not brought in the electronic system and the South Eastern area, but does not include the Belfast Trust.

The Northern Ireland director of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Niall McGonigle, said the incomplete figures made direct comparisons difficult.

But he added: “As surgeons working on the ground, we know that Northern Ireland’s health service remains in a precarious state, with huge pressures on a depleted and stretched workforce.

“We are concerned that the surgical workforce, on which much of the elective recovery relies, may reduce further in the coming years.”

He added: “The health service in Northern Ireland is in desperate need of a recurrent budget to help with planning and approval of funds for the minister’s (Mike Nesbitt) five-year waiting list plan.

“There also needs to be greater investment in staff and a drive to improve working conditions – without this, patients will continue to languish on waiting lists with little hope of timely care.”

Dr Alan Stout, chairman of BMA’s Northern Ireland Council, said many patients were waiting years for an appointment.

He said: “There needs to be radical change, with clinicians involved in the process to make sure services are delivered in a way that is timely and efficient, and gives patients access to the best treatment so they have the best health outcomes.

“A key part of addressing the issues is the health services’ ability to retain and recruit doctors.

“We know there are huge budgetary pressures right across Northern Ireland but without the right workforce in place nothing will improve.”

The Sinn Fein chairwoman of Stormont’s Health Committee, Liz Kimmins, said the figures showed the “stark reality” of long hospital waiting times.

She added: “Behind each of these numbers is an individual and a family who are in desperate need of healthcare.

“Long waiting times highlight the immense pressure on the health system and on staff who continue to work professionally and efficiently as ever to treat and care for patients, often in very challenging circumstances.”

She added: “The British government must properly fund the Executive so it can deliver high-quality public services, including health services.”

Alliance Party MLA Nuala McAllister said: “Some patients are waiting more than five years to be seen for an outpatient appointment, and the picture is scarcely better when it comes to diagnostic services or inpatient care, with tens of thousands languishing on waiting lists and praying for the day their number comes up.

“Behind all of these figures are real people desperately waiting for often life-saving treatment.”