Alarming 50% rise in number of NI people waiting over a year for hospital treatment
ALMOST 20,000 patients in Northern Ireland have been waiting more than a year for hospital treatment, figures show.
The number has risen by almost 50% from last year.
A further 94,222 have been waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment.
The figures are contained in the latest waiting times statistics published yesterday. It provides a snapshot of the health service as of September 30.
The bulletin shows there are now 19,715 patients waiting more than a year for inpatient treatment.
Data for the quarter from July to the end of September shows that 22.9% of patients waited
more than a year to be admitted for inpatient and day case treatment. An additional 6,539 patients are waiting over a year for treatment, including surgery, compared with the same period in 2017, a rise of almost 50%.
Government targets require that no patients should be waiting longer than 52 weeks for treatment.
While waiting times targets have changed over the years, using the targets in force at each quarter in recent years, the 52 weeks target has not been completely achieved in over 11 years.
Mark Taylor, director for Northern Ireland at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “These waiting list figures are deeply distressing and depressing. They graphically underline the need for long-term investment, with certainty and clarity on budgets.
“We can’t go on like this, with health here operating on single-year budgets and barely enough money to keep its head above water, let alone tackle the backlog of patients.”
The figures show 122,387 patients were waiting for a diagnostic service — 51.1% (62,481) waited longer than nine weeks for a diagnostic test.
The target is that 75% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks, with no patients waiting longer than 26 weeks.
The Health and Social Care Board said: “Patients have every right to expect and demand timely care. Unfortunately, for reasons that have been well documented, our system is not currently configured to provide that.
“The only sustainable solution to this is transformation.
“In addition, further investment is required, in addition to the £30m funding announced earlier this year, to clear the backlog of patients waiting for treatment.”