Drop in NI waiting lists

Hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland are continuing to fall, according to new figures.

About 55,500 people are now waiting for treatment - a drop of more than 7% in the last year, the Department of Health has revealed.

However, there are still longer delays for patients in Northern Ireland than in any other part of the UK.

Health Minister Angela Smith welcomed the figures, published on Thursday, which look at the period from April to June this year.

Ms Smith said: "I am pleased that in-patient numbers have fallen for the third quarter in succession, but the fall is only a small one and we must continue our efforts to reduce both the number of people waiting and the time they are having to wait.

More patients than ever before are being seen and treated within our hospitals Angela Smith Health Minister

"The longer term picture for in-patient waiting lists is more encouraging, with a reduction in the total number of in-patients waiting of over 4,500 (7.6%) in the last year."

She said out-patient numbers had risen during the quarter, but that 72% of patients had their first appointment in less than three months, with 97% being seen within 12 months.

Ms Smith said more money than before was directed towards tackling the waiting list problem.

"It should be noted that more patients than ever before are being seen and treated within our hospitals and that the demand on our services is at an all time high."

She said each quarter almost 50,000 people failed to turn up for out-patient appointments.

Hospital waiting lists in the province fell in March for the first time in three years.

Highest in Europe

While the overall total had fallen, the number of people who had been waiting a long time showed the sharpest drop.

The number of people who had been waiting in breach of patients charter standards - 12 months for heart surgery or 18 months for other surgery - was down by 800.

The decline was largely due to hospitals getting money to set up initiatives to target waiting lists and to a comprehensive programme of trying to validate everyone who is still in the queue.

When check calls are made to patients waiting for treatment, the number falls for a variety of reasons.

Some people will have moved house, are being treated elsewhere, are getting better, or may have died, either from the complaint they were waiting to have treated or from an unrelated illness.

Figures released last year showed Northern Ireland had the longest waiting lists in Europe.