NI's Healthcare System Has Worst Waiting Times In The UK - RCS

Northern Ireland's healthcare system has the worst waiting times in the UK, according to The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS).

RCS has proposed a 10-step action plan to kick-start the post-pandemic recovery of surgical services in Northern Ireland and tackle devastatingly long waiting lists for surgery.

The most recent Department of Health figures show 105,159 people waiting for surgical treatment, either as an inpatient or day case admission, with half (56,242) of these patients waiting more than a year for their procedures. In total, 428,333 people were waiting for either a first outpatient appointment with a consultant, or an inpatient or day case admission. The figures are not expected to improve when waiting times for the first quarter of 2021 are published later this week.

Health Minister Robin Swann has stated it could take 10 years, and an estimated £1 billion in extra funding, to tackle the backlog.

RCS said that with planning and resources, the backlog could be dealt with in less than 10 years. Its 'Action Plan for Surgical services in Northern Ireland - 10 Steps Not 10 Years' sets out solutions for addressing the backlog of patients waiting for operations. The plan's 10 recommendations include a call for increased investment, protected surgical beds, expansion of COVID-light sites, surgical training enhancements, and an expansion of the wider surgical workforce, alongside programmes to support staff wellbeing. The College also calls on the NI government to publish an annual report setting out its response to the waiting times backlog, as well as measures to support patients facing long waits for surgery.

Mr Mark Taylor, College Director for Northern Ireland, said: "Northern Ireland already faced a monumental task on waiting times before the Covid-19 pandemic began. The situation has only worsened over the last year, and our health service is in deep crisis with half of patients waiting more than a year for their treatment. When you add in those patients waiting for their first consultant appointment, one in four people in Northern Ireland is on a waiting list3.

"These patients will be waiting in pain and uncertainty, some of them unable to work or go about day-to-day life. They will be waiting for treatments ranging from hip and knee replacements to post-mastectomy breast reconstructions, and children's surgeries such as putting in vents for ear glue. The statistics also belie the true scale of the problem – we know there are a considerable number of patients waiting two, three and four years for their treatment. Some will seek expensive private treatment.

"Northern Ireland's leaders are now faced with a choice. They can either continue to let things spiral out of control, or they can use the easing of Covid-19 pressures as a turning point, an opportunity to do things differently and get our health service, and in particular waiting times, back on track. We propose ten steps to improve the situation, and potentially solve it in less than ten years."