Department of Health statement on latest waiting time statistics

The Department has repeatedly made clear that sustained investment is required to address the waiting list backlog.

The waiting times have been building up since 2014 as a result of wider financial pressures facing the Health and Social Care system.

With budgets increasingly stretched just to maintain existing services, funding to suppress waiting time growth has been in limited supply.

Alongside sustained investment, longer term action is also required to prevent the problem recurring.

That means transformation of health and social care – improving the capacity of the system to ensure that the growing demand for care is met. The gap between current capacity and demand will not be bridged in any other way.

Transformation initiatives include the establishment of day case elective care centres – new standalone specialist day surgery units.  Centres for cataract and varicose veins have been operational since December 2018 and there are plans to transfer thousands of other day case routine operations to dedicated elective care centre locations by December 2020. 

Notes to editors: 

1. For media enquiries please contact the Department of Health Press Office on 028 9052 0074 or email: pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk. For out of hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110.

2. Follow us on twitter @healthdpt

Share this page