Waiting list for people seeking ECG test labelled ‘a scandal’

Shock: Neil Johnston A CHARITY has called for action to be taken after the waiting list for a potentially life-saving heart test grew by 5,563 in just two years.

Quarterly waiting time figures published by the Department of Health show the waiting list for an electrocardiogram (ECG) test increased from 10,366 in June 2016 to 15,929 in June this year.

The number of patients waiting more than 26 weeks for an ECG test has also grown.

It has risen from 834 in June 2016, up to 5,686 at the end of June this year.

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, a charity focused on helping people living with a chest, heart or stroke condition, said the figures represented a “scandal” for people seeking treatment.

There are more than 200,000 people in Northern Ireland living with a chest, heart or stroke condition.

“An ECG test simply measures the electrical activity of your heart to show whether or not it is working normally,” said Neil Johnston, the charity’s public affairs adviser.

“This test can be the first step in identifying serious heart condition, many of which can be successfully managed or treated.

“It is incredible that over 5,000 people in Northern Ireland have been waiting over 26 weeks not knowing whether there is anything seriously wrong with them.

“We know that earlier in the year the health service undertook to employ four more physiologists in an attempt to begin to address this problem.

“However, it now appears to completely spiralling out of control.”

The ministerial target for diagnostic waiting times is that by March next year 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test, with no patient waiting longer than 26 weeks.

At the end of June, there were 22,216 patients (18.2%) waiting more than nine weeks for a diagnostic test.