Surgeons warn Northern Ireland’s waiting times are deepening health inequalities

Surgeons have warned that stubbornly high waiting times are deepening Northern Ireland’s health inequalities.  New figures released today show growth in Northern Ireland’s hospital waiting times show no sign of dramatically slowing down.

Responding to the quarterly waiting times figures, the Northern Ireland Director of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), Mr Niall McGonigle, said the figures reflected a stressed and strained system.

“The number of patients waiting for elective care treatment, diagnostics and appointments remains stubbornly high. People are fed up waiting years for NHS treatment to start.  An increasing number are choosing to self-fund private healthcare due to long waits.² We must do all we can to reverse this trend of deepening health inequalities. Northern Ireland’s patient population shouldn’t be in a position where some can afford to pay for treatment and others can’t.”

Today’s figures show:

• 428,858 patients waiting for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant (was 416,022)
• 188,850 waiting for a critical diagnostic scan (was 188,881)
• 115,929 patients waiting for surgery or treatment including at a Day Case Procedure Centre (was 119,095)
• 51.9% are waiting more than 52 weeks for admission (was 52.8%)
• 53% are waiting for treatment under the General Surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedics (T&O) Surgery or Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialties
• The median waiting time for inpatient surgery was just over a year (55.7 weeks)
• The worst waiters are 5 and a half years (280.7 weeks)
• The median waiting time for children waiting for paediatric surgery is 44.8 weeks with the worst levels reaching 218 weeks (4 years 10 months).

The RCS England Northern Ireland Director also welcomed the small reduction in those waiting for surgery or treatment on the inpatient lists:

“We are pleased to see that the surgical hubs at Lagan Valley and Omagh are playing their part in making a real difference to those patients who need day-case surgery - as well as the elective overnight centres at Mater, SWAH and Daisy Hill.

“As winter approaches, surgical teams are working extremely hard to drive down these waits in extremely difficult circumstances.  Progress on the waiting lists is being hampered by a burnt out and depleted workforce.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Reflecting July to September 2023 activity across IP/DC, OP and diagnostics - https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/doh-statistics-and-research/hospital-waiting-times-statistics
2. PHIN September 2023 private market update https://www.phin.org.uk/news/phin-private-market-update-september-2023 and a list of the most common procedures https://www.phin.org.uk/news/in-pain-and-on-the-waiting-list-here-are-the-most-common-private-procedures
3. Progress report on five-year Elective Care Framework published 6 July 2023: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/progress-report-five-year-elective-care-framework
4. The Royal College of Surgeons of England is a professional membership organisation and is represented in Northern Ireland by a Professional Board of over 20 surgeons reflecting the specialty areas of: Neurosurgery, ENT, Paediatrics, General Surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Plastics, Urology, Vascular, Cardiothoracic and OMFS.
5. The Board includes 10 elected regional specialty advisors, Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT), QUB & UU Medical School Surgical Societies, NIMDTA Head of the School of Surgery, SAS doctors and an RCS England Council member. The purpose of the Board is to improve surgical outcomes for patients, advocate locally and support the dissemination of good practice and professional guidance.
6. Recent NI College publications include surgical manifesto for the NI 2022 assembly elections and the Action Plan for the Recovery of Elective Surgery 10 Steps Not 10 Years.
7. For more information, please contact pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk