Patients in the Belfast Trust could be waiting over two years for a first outpatient appointment due to the length of waiting lists.
While the waiting lists for some departments are very lengthy for routine appointments, 'Red Flag' appointments where a patient may be suspected of having cancer take place within three weeks or less on average.
Rheumatology has the longest waiting list, with it taking nearly four years on average for a first routine appointment and over two years for an urgent one. Rheumatology also has the longest waiting list in Paediatrics, where it can take over three years for a first routine appointment.
Read more: Department of Health launches online tracker for specialist hospital appointment waiting times
The Royal College of Surgeons has expressed concern at the length of waiting times across Northern Ireland and warned that they could worsen in the future due to plans to cut £34 million from the Department of Health's waiting list initiative.
Figures released this week by the Department of Health show:
- 121,879 patients waiting for surgery or treatment, a 2.6% (or 388) decrease on last quarter’s figures i.e. 122,267.
- 52.9% (or 64,513) patients are waiting more than 52 weeks, with the previous quarter showing 54.2% (66,302)
- 401,201 patients waiting for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant, 1.6% increase from last quarter (378,411).
- Increase in numbers waiting for diagnostic scan - 173,572 patients up from 162,047
- Largest waiting lists remain for general surgery (26,327), trauma and orthopaedic 25,075, Ear Nose and Throat 14,560, and Urology 9,725
- One in twenty (5%) patients waiting for Plastic Surgery, ENT, Urology, Gynaecology or Trauma & Orthopaedics Surgery admissions have been waiting over 5 years.
Northern Ireland Director of the Royal College of Surgeons, Professor Mark Taylor expressed his concern saying that while progress has been made in some areas such as the recovery of surgery and implementation of ambulatory and elective overnight stay centres, demand for hospital services was outstripping capacity.
He said: "At the heart of these figures are people who are suffering, and it is devastating to know these lists are not dramatically improving. As clinicians we see first-hand the disappointment and frustration of our patients when we say we must prioritise lists and that they could be facing very long waits.
“We know we need to create more operating chances for surgeons and teams across Northern Ireland, and that’s where surgical hubs and dedicated elective sites are helping to create a landscape in our health service, where we are all sharing resources and create more chances to get lifesaving and life-changing surgery done.
“To help make significant inroads into the waiting lists long term, we need proper workforce planning, a sustained political arrangement at Stormont with a long-term protected budget that prioritises waiting lists and ring-fences the finances and teams required for us to banish long waiting lists for good.
"The Bengoa Report predicted much of the present situation we’re experiencing, and there has never been a greater time than now to transform our health service.”
The Department of Health has launched a new online tool this week to help patients see how long it will take for them to get a first appointment.
They are broken down into Red Flag, Urgent and Routine appointments.
The waiting times for the Belfast Trust area are:
Breast Surgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
1 |
| Urgent |
3 |
| Routine |
25 |
Cardiology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
12 |
| Routine |
61 |
Dental
Dental Conservation
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
3 |
| Routine |
10 |
Dental Prosthetics
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
1 |
| Routine |
20 |
Oral Medicine
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
<1 |
| Urgent |
7 |
| Routine |
27 |
Orthodontics
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
8 |
| Routine |
35 |
Oral surgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
3 |
| Routine |
6 |
Paediatric Dentistry
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
9 |
| Routine |
19 |
Periodontic
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
5 |
| Routine |
39 |
Special care restorative Dentistry
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
20 |
| Routine |
118 |
Dermatology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
3 |
| Urgent |
44 |
| Routine |
119 |
Endocrinology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
3 |
| Urgent |
12 |
| Routine |
35 |
Ears, Nose and Throat
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
<1 |
| Urgent |
4 |
| Routine |
74 |
Gastroenterology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
21 |
| Routine |
64 |
General Medicine
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
25 |
| Routine |
62 |
General Surgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
32 |
| Routine |
81 |
Geriatric Medicine
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
1 |
| Urgent |
9 |
| Routine |
12 |
Nephrology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
3 |
| Routine |
4 |
Neurology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
64 |
| Routine |
150 |
Neurosurgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
11 |
| Routine |
49 |
Obstetric and Gynaecology
OBS and GYN
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
13 |
| Routine |
21 |
OBS and GYN Urodynamics
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
20 |
| Routine |
30 |
Othopaedics
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
4 |
| Urgent |
20 |
| Routine |
79 |
Ophtalmology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
46 |
| Routine |
125 |
Paediatrics
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
1 |
| Urgent |
7 |
| Routine |
47 |
Pain Management
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
36 |
| Routine |
45 |
Plastic Surgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
127 |
| Routine |
57 |
Respiratory
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
13 |
| Routine |
39 |
Rheumatology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
105 |
| Routine |
205 |
Thoracics
Thoracic Medicine
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
11 |
| Routine |
38 |
Thoracic Surgery
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
1 |
| Urgent |
4 |
| Routine |
8 |
Urology
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Red Flag |
2 |
| Urgent |
14 |
| Routine |
67 |
Vascular
| Priority |
Average Wait (Weeks) |
| Urgent |
9 |
| Routine |
116 |
READ NEXT:
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
