Hospital waiting lists: shock new figures reveal "totally unacceptable" rise

The shock extent of Northern Ireland's hospital waiting lists has been laid bare today (Thursday).

New statistics from the Department of Health show 416,022 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment by June 30.

That is a rise of 3.7% from March 31 and 10.1% higher than at June 30 2022.

Significantly, nearly half (203,682) of those patients were waiting for more than the draft target waiting time of 52 weeks.

The figures have been branded "unbelievable and totally unacceptable" by the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland.

In addition, the statistics also revealed that 119,095 patients were waiting to be admitted for inpatient or day case treatment, 2.3% (2,784) fewer than at March 31 (121,879), and 6.6% (8,446) fewer than at June 30 2022 (127,541).

Some 188,881 patients were waiting for a diagnostic test, 9% (15,639) more than at March 31 (173,242), and 13.5% (22,471) more than at June 30 2022 (166,410).

Dr Tom Black, BMA northern Ireland Council chair said, “Today’s waiting list statistics again make for shocking and depressing reading for doctors and patients. Waiting four and five years for consultations and treatment is unbelievable and totally unacceptable. No doctor wants to be in a position where they are telling someone it is going to be years to get treated.

“Without action and decision making, the lists and waiting times are going to get even worse. Our health service needs more funding, but the problems cannot be solved with short term, one-off injections of cash. We need a proper three-year budget that enables longer term planning and change to be made.

“Underpinning this is the need to value staff and pay them properly. It is a disgrace that no doctor in Northern Ireland is going to get the 6% pay uplift that doctors in the rest of the UK are getting. While there may be a will to pay the uplift, there now needs to be a way. However even that uplift does not do enough to address the sub-inflationary pay rises and widening gap between doctors working here and those in the rest of the UK or Ireland.

“The Assembly needs to resume immediately to begin to address these issues and one of the first tasks for a new health minister will be to carry out some robust and realistic medical workforce planning to ensure there are enough doctors to cover rotas and treat patients both now and in the future.”