Waiting lists falling as 200,000 extra patients seen, minister says

A target to reduce lengthy waiting lists in Northern Ireland by 70,000 has been exceeded threefold, the health minister has said.

Mike Nesbitt said more than 200,000 extra patients will have been seen, diagnosed or treated by the end of the current financial year.

The figure, shared with the clinical leaders of the five health trusts, was not broken down in detail.

Most recent statistics show more than half a million people were waiting to see a hospital consultant for the first time, with some waiting almost six years.

The target of 70,000 extra patients was set by the executive in the Programme for Government.

Nesbitt told an event at Stormont that major progress had been made and hailed the number of patients seen as a phenomenal achievement.

"We will be well over 200,000 by the time we get to the end of the financial year," Nesbitt said.

The Department of Health said across the past year, "significant gains have been achieved".

The department said the number of people waiting for procedures including endoscopies and colonoscopies came down, as well as the number of people waiting for outpatient appointments.

These gains have been driven by "new ways of working, better use of data, modern scheduling and digital platforms that help us plan and deliver care more efficiently".

Nesbitt said he had put a focus on waiting lists since he took up his post as health minister in May 2024, but said he was also conscious it was not a permanent solution if money was spent on waiting lists without reform.

"In parallel with addressing waiting lists we are going to move in the next financial year, from the 1 April, to this neighbourhood model which is putting a lot more emphasis on prevention and early intervention to take some of the pressure of the acute hospitals where all the expensive stuff happens," he said.

At the end of September last year, there were 542,451 patients waiting to see a consultant at NI hospitals.

It means no NI health trust met its target for patients to be seen.

Target waiting times are that 50% of patients should be seen within nine weeks, with no one waiting longer than 52 weeks.

The most recent figures show that more than 85% have waited longer than nine weeks, and 55% longer than a year.

The longest waiting list is for ears, nose and throat (ENT) consultations, followed by gynaecology, ophthalmology and then general surgery.

Under the Elective Care Framework, the department said it was committed to:

• Carrying out more treatments and procedures
• Reducing long waits for appointments and operations
• Using theatres and facilities more efficiently
• Making care more consistent no matter where patients live
• Expanding alternative models and giving patients more choice

Prof Mark Taylor, the regional clinical director for elective care, said there had been a "concentrated effort" to get those people waiting four years and more off the waiting list and "sizeable progress" was being made.

He said while money is important, it is not all about money, it is about a change of practice - a different way of doing things.

"It's about refreshing everything, particularly because of the budgetary restraints," he said.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson Philip McGuigan said he welcomed the news of waiting lists being tackled.

"Despite this, much more work remains, as waiting lists are still far too long, with thousands of people left waiting for surgeries, consultations and other essential medical procedures," he said.