LISTEN: MLAs seek urgent meeting with Robin Swann over growing waiting list crisis

By Q Radio News

Robin Swann is warning that the size of Northern Ireland's hospital waiting lists is "undermining" the core principles of the NHS.

New figures published today revealed more than 335,000 people are waiting for a first consultant-led appointment.

More than half of those (189,753) have been waiting over a year.

SDLP MLAs are seeking an urgent meeting with the health and finance ministers over the growing crisis. 

The party's health spokesperson Cara Hunter and her colleague Matthew O’Toole are warning its the biggest problem facing all of us and should be treated as a top priority at Stormont. 

“Our health service is at breaking point,” Ms Hunter warned. 

“The only thing keeping the system going right now is the dedication of our front line staff.

“We all recognise the crisis in our health service and with waiting lists in particular, but the latest data underlines the scale of it and paints a distressing picture of the future for people in need of treatment now.

“This year’s Budget does not set out a plan to deal with the multiple crises facing our public services – including the Health service. 

“That is unacceptable.”

Mr O’Toole, who is the party’s finance spokesperson added:

“All of us sitting in the Assembly should feel ashamed when we listen to the testimony of people on our waiting lists. 

“These numbers are genuinely shameful and inexcusable.

“We have the worst waiting lists on these islands. 

“Yet, last week the Finance Minister delivered a budget that totally failed to address them in a meaningful way.

“Our party wants to work with the Finance Minister and Health Minister on a strategy for long term systemic transformation in our health service, including proper budgeting and multi-year investment.”

In a statement Robin Swann said a new framework was being finalised to tackle waiting lists with difficult choices to be made by all departments if it’s to be a priority.

However he said funding is not the only problem. 

“We have to reshape services to improve our health service's capacity and ensure this backlog never occurs again,” Mr Swann added. 

"The innovation, determination and togetherness that we have seen during the pandemic will all be essential.

"However, it should also be remembered that we tackled Covid with unprecedented levels of emergency funding at our disposal.

"We do not have that for waiting times."