Ulster Unionist Health Spokesperson, Jo-Anne Dobson, has warned that patient safety is being compromised after it was revealed the number of people waiting longer than the maximum permitted time over the last year has jumped from 20,840 to 39,557. The Upper Bann MLA was commenting after the latest publication of waiting times.

Jo-Anne Dobson said:

“Earlier this year the official Executive Target for first outpatient appointments was increased from nobody waiting longer than 18 weeks to nobody waiting longer than 52. That was the clearest example yet that this Executive does not care about, or recognise the severity, of the plight local patients are being forced to endure.  

“The most recent publication of waiting times has confirmed that the problems facing local hospitals are growing, and that the Executive’s bungled £40m funding package – of which barely half was spent as intended - has failed to reverse the spiralling deterioration in waiting lists. It means the Northern Ireland Health Service is in the midst of its most unprecedented crisis.

“Formal targets for treatment across all patient types and specialities exist because it is accepted that the longer patients are forced to wait for treatment, the greater harm they may ultimately come to. The number of people who are waiting far longer than is medically safe has now grown to an unprecedented and terrifyingly high level.

“Unfortunately, rather than the local Executive recognising this, they are shamefully waiting until next January to produce a ‘comprehensive approach for addressing waiting lists’. That is despite the current crisis beginning well over two years ago.

“The Ulster Unionist Party continuously highlights ideas which we believe would have a major impact on reducing waiting lists, including allowing GPs to make direct diagnostic referrals and practical measures to reduce the number of delayed hospital discharges. To date the Minister has put party politicking ahead of working with us to develop these.”