Minister committed to tackling waiting times increase

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey said that a continued lack of funding had resulted in disappointing increases in waiting times.

The latest figures for the end of June 2010 showed increases in waiting times for first outpatient appointments and surgery.

The Minister said: “While it is very disappointing to see these increases, we must not forget the very significant improvements there have been in waiting times over the last few years.

“These rises are not, however, unexpected. I have been warning about this scenario for many months. It is a direct result of my budget being repeatedly cut. If my budget is to be further cut then there will be more rises because we simply cannot meet the demand for services without the funding to match it.

“I want to apologise to those patients who will have to wait longer for surgery and outpatient appointments and assure the public that every effort is being made to treat people as quickly as possible. I also want to thank staff for their hard work and efforts in delivering a high quality service to patients despite facing increasing demand and with limited resources.”

The Minister said that the focus must now be on reducing the use of the Independent Sector and instead concentrate on building up capacity in the Health and Social Care service.

He said: “I will make sure that we build capacity as quickly as possible and within the funds available. My spending plans for 2010-11 include a commitment of £25 million a year to help create additional posts including more doctors and nurses, to ensure we have the right number of staff in place to respond to the needs of the population.

“However, this will take time to work through and we can expect waiting times to increase further over the next few months. If the Health and Social Care Service is subject to major spending reductions next year, then waiting times will be at further risk.”

Continuing the Minister said pointed to the latest Treasury figures, which revealed that spending per person on health services is lower in Northern Ireland than in any other part of the UK.

He said: “At the same time we are trying to deal with increased demand for services – this is simply not possible without the funds to match.

“Protecting patients and our most vulnerable members of society has to be the top priority for everyone. We cannot do this without the right levels of funding. I will continue to fight for the money to ensure that people in Northern Ireland have the same levels of health care as everyone else in the UK.”

Notes to editors:

1. Media enquiries to the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0579. For media enquiries out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.