AQW 20618/22-27 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health whether he has considered any short-term programmes to clear lengthy waiting lists, including private health and social care and cross-border initiatives.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 15 January 2025
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 15 January 2025
- Answer due by
- 30 January 2025
- Answered
- 30 January 202515 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Long waiting times are unacceptable and addressing this issue is a key priority for me. The Elective Care Framework (ECF) (May 2024) sets out a roadmap for tackling lengthy waiting times. This Framework sets the strategic direction for the development and transformation of elective care services in Northern Ireland over the next five years and details the measures needed to address the unacceptable waiting lists here.
Reducing waiting lists will not be a quick fix. Positive achievements have been made and there have been small but tangible improvements in the waiting list position here over the last few years, but much more still needs to be done.
Full implementation of the ECF, including further development of elective care centres, enhancing Independent Sector engagement and any new reimbursement scheme requires sustainable funding. The £76m made available this year was used to treat cancer/red flag patients and falls far short of the funding required to tackle lengthy waits.
A bid for £80m recurrent funding, as well as an additional £135m per year, for up to five years, to clear the backlog, was made but not met and the position in next year's draft budget is equally bleak.
If the waiting list bid of £135m put forward for 2024/25 had been approved by the Executive, (above the 75-80m required for red-flag and time critical patients), significant progress could be made to improve waiting times. However, this is regrettably not possible within the current budget allocation. Below is the planning summary of intended spend of the £135m.
| Specialty/Procedure | Approximate patient numbers | Approximate Cost |
| Dermatology new outpatient assessment | 6,000 patients waiting over 4 years | £2.8m |
| Cataract procedures | 2,800 patients waiting | £5m |
| Primary hip/primary knee and other long waiting orthopaedic procedures | 3,500 patients waiting over 2 years + 900 patients waiting over 4 years | £42m (2 years waits) + £11m (4-year waits) |
| Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy | 1,000 patients waiting over 4 years | £4.5m |
| Tonsillectomies | 1,100 patients (many of whom are children) waiting over 4 years | £3.5m |
| Rheumatology outpatient assessment | 2,100 patients waiting over 3 years | £1.4m |
| Gynaecology outpatient assessment | 4,200 patients waiting over 3 years | £2.5m |
| Hernia Treatment | 800 patients waiting over 4 years | £4m |
| Colonoscopy | 1,905 patients waiting over 3 years | £2.4m |
| OGD | 1,025 patients waiting over 3 years | £0.8m |
| Other | 1,900 patients across a number of specialities | £6m |
| Scheme | Approximate patient numbers | Approximate Cost |
| Reimbursement Scheme | 4,000 patients waiting over 1 year – largely orthopaedics | £31m |
| Primary Care Elective Care | 17,000 patients across a number of specialities, including dermatology, gynaecology and MSK | £3m |
| Mega Clinics | 20,000 patients across a number of specialities | £10m |
| Other including validation | £5m | |
| Total | 134.9m |
I will continue to do all I can, in this constrained financial environment, however, without the investment needed I cannot fund a new cross-border scheme, nor can I address the lack of community capacity significantly in the short term.