More than 490,000 patients waiting to see consultants

There were 494,530 patients last month waiting to be seen by a consultant at out- patient clinics, a reduction of just 788 on the previous month, new figures show.

The figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) also show 80,894 patients were waiting for a hospital operation or procedure last month, a decrease of 2,143 compared to September.

Health Minister Simon Harris said it was the third month in a row that there had been a fall in the number of people waiting for a hospital operation or procedure.