More than 625,200 people waiting for hospital appointments

The new figures, which relate to the end of February, have been released by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

More than 625,200 people are waiting for an in-patient or out-patient appointment at hospitals across the country.

The number is an increase of nearly 1,500 on a month earlier. Almost 111,000 patients have been on a waiting list for at least 18 months.