North's hospitals waiting times down but short of targets

Hospitals in the North are reducing the time patients have to wait for treatment but are still failing to fully meet ministerial targets, new figures showed today.

While things are getting better, 4,370 people, nearly 12% of the total who were waiting for inpatient hospital treatment at the end of last December were waiting over the 13-week target set by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.

Despite the missed target it was better than three months earlier when 17.3% were waiting longer than they should. However the number waiting more than 21 weeks almost trebled to 161, according to statistics released by the Department of Health , Social Services and Public Safety.

In total the number of patients waiting for treatment at the end of December was 36,900, 134 up on the September figure but 1,134 down on the year.

There were 5,831 patients – 8.5% – waiting longer than the target nine weeks for a first outpatient appointment – with 239 waiting over 13 weeks.

That was an improvement over the previous quarter when the figures were 7,910 - 10.6% waiting longer than nine weeks and 317 over 13.

The total number waiting for a first outpatient appointment at the end of the year was 68,734, down nearly 6,000 on the quarter.

Of over 32,000 waiting for 13 specific diagnostic services just 70 were waiting over the 13-week target date and 1,230 more than the nine weeks which will become the target by the end of this month.

Mr McGimpsey said: “Excellent progress continues to be made to reduce hospital waiting times, and once again I commend healthcare staff for their efforts in delivering these improvements which bring real benefits for patients.”

Ensuring all patients in the North had access to timely, high quality assessment, diagnosis and treatment services remained one of his top priorities, he said.

The minister added: “Waiting times have been transformed in recent years, and I am anxious to ensure that we make further progress in the current year.

“My Department has robust monitoring and performance management arrangements in place to ensure that satisfactory progress is made towards these new targets. I am confident that they will be achieved.”

He urged the health service to continue with their “sterling efforts” to ensure all waiting time targets were met.