Stormont: calls for a major plan to tackle Northern Ireland's spiralling waiting lists

Calls were made today (Tuesday) for Stormont to act immediately on sorting out Northern Ireland's hospital waiting lists which are the highest in the UK.

The Executive was told that a clear plan was needed.

Speaking in the Assembly, DUP MLA Diane Dodds said "radical short-term solutions" would be needed after pointing out that the proportion of people on waiting lists in Northern Ireland is double that of England.

MLAs are debating a motion which states there is a need to "turbo-charge investment toward tackling the waiting list backlog over the remainder of this Assembly term".

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.

Opening the debate, Mrs Dodds said many people had lost faith in the services of the NHS.

She said: "Tackling this issue is one of the pivotal issues on which the success or failure of this executive will be judged.

"The equivalent of 26.3% of the Northern Ireland population is on a waiting list, compared to 12.4% in England."

Addressing Health Minister Robin Swann, Mrs Dodds added: "We all know this is not a sustainable position.

"We know Northern Ireland has the worst waiting lists in the UK, simply doing a little more or investing a little extra won't make a significant difference.

"That is why it is imperative that you and executive colleagues have a clear plan to reduce waiting times."

She said: "Northern Ireland can only do so much itself. We must seek to partner on a much larger scale with national or global providers that can work alongside us and provide the additional skilled staff required in the short term as we enhance our own capacity.

"Investing in our own staff and infrastructure is my preferred option, but the needs of our waiting lists and the urgent requirement to address capacity will take radical short-term solutions."