Scale of hospital waiting lists leading to more harm for patients, MLAs told

The scale of hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland is so severe that patients are coming to further harm as they wait years for treatment, surgeons have said.

Niall McGonigle, the Northern Ireland director of the Royal College of Surgeons, told MLAs on the health committee that health workers are raising an “SOS” over the service being provided to patients.

Northern Ireland has the worst hospital waiting lists in the UK, with more than a quarter of the population waiting for an inpatient or outpatient appointment.

Stormont Health Minister Robin Swann has previously pledged to “leave no stone unturned” in seeking to address spiralling waiting lists.

Mr McGonigle said: “The royal college fraternity has raised a red flag in the last couple of weeks, perhaps even an SOS, about the stresses of working in our health service and the level of service that we can currently provide to our patients.

“In surgery we are facing huge difficulties in terms of daily work and trying to address a backlog that has existed for over a decade.

“Despite best efforts we are in dire straits and action must be taken for the people of Northern Ireland.”

He added: “Presently around a quarter of Northern Ireland’s population is on a waiting list, either to see a consultant for the first time, for a diagnostic test or for elective in-patient treatment.

“That, in a population of 1.9 million people, equates to 26% of the population.

“This figure, for the same metrics in England, is about 12%.

“In order to clear those waiting lists it would take all day operating seven days a week for three years.

“The scale of waiting times is so severe now that we know patients are coming to harm.

“Conditions are progressing and they are becoming more complex.

“This can lead to more difficult operations and unfortunately in some cases surgery is no longer possible.

“We must also not forget the psychological and mental health implications of these prolonged waits, almost always without information on position on a waiting list and also the likely time to treatment on that waiting list.

“Simply put, delays cost more both financially and in the wellbeing of our patients.”

Ann Garraghy, from the royal college, told the committee that a survey of members revealed 53% of Northern Ireland surgeons had considered leaving the workforce within the last year.

She said 91% surgeons aged 55-64 in the region say they plan to retire within the next four years and 66% have reported burnout and stress because of workload.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said there was a deepening crisis in the health service in Northern Ireland.

He said: “Surgeons are clear that we need more elective care centres and access to theatres for staff.

“They have also issued a workforce warning with large numbers of the surgical cohort in the later stages of their careers and will retire in the coming decade.

“If we don’t recruit and retain the surgeons necessary then we will be unable to manage the scale of these waiting lists.

“We must see action from the Health Minister and department in relation to waiting lists and this cannot come soon enough.

“People are already waiting too long. It is causing unfair pressures on our primary care sectors, and patients and their families are suffering because our health service is unable to carry out many of its basic functions.”