Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen has expressed his shock after it was revealed to him during Question Time in the Assembly that at the end of December 2015 32,544 patients were waiting longer than 52 weeks for a first outpatient appointment. The official Executive target is that no one should have to wait longer than 18 weeks. 

Andy Allen said: 

“The revelation that so many people have been waiting for over a year for their first appointment with a consultant is totally outrageous. The reason targets exist is because it is very widely accepted that the longer patients are forced to wait for treatment the greater harm they may ultimately come to. It was therefore frightening to learn that over 32,500 people have been forced to linger on a waiting list for more than a year.

“Amongst those anxiously waiting will include people needing further tests or diagnosis, as well as many others in pain and discomfort awaiting treatment. These include people who are desperately awaiting orthopaedic surgery and are being forced to wait open-endedly in debilitating pain.

“Indeed the revelation that so many people have been waiting longer than a year matches the trend that my Party also recently exposed that the total number of people waiting longer the maximum time of 18 weeks swelled from 6,923 to 109,288 in the last three years.

“The crisis facing our local NHS is unprecedented and this has contributed to the fact that the numbers of people waiting for hospital treatment, as well as the lengths of time they are being forced to wait, is now greater than any time in recent history. Even before the return of devolution over 15 years ago, when hospitals waiting lists were considered outrageous, many people were receiving a more timely service than what they are now.

“Whilst the Minister Simon Hamilton did agree with me that 32,500 people waiting for longer than a year was unacceptable, I was still not convinced that he has either the willingness or ability to resolve the crisis in our local hospital waiting times. Rather than squabbling and political positioning, he would be much better off dedicating what little time he has left in the Department to actually try to help some of these patients who are currently being totally let down.”