Executive pledges £76m to tackle ‘unacceptable’ waiting lists, but SDLP slams lack of ‘clear targets’

THE Stormont Executive has pledged £76m to improve “unacceptable” waiting lists in Northern Ireland over the next year, but has been criticised over a lack of “concrete plans” in its draft programme for government (PfG).

Launching the long-awaited document on Monday, the Executive pledged to prioritise cancer and time-sensitive waiting lists but admitted there wasn’t enough money to reduce overall backlogs.

The next step in the process is an eight-week public consultation were the Executive will be in “listening mode.”

During Monday’s Assembly debate, the SDLP’s Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole said there was a lack of “clear targets and clear plans to deliver”.

This included no specific target to reduce waiting lists and times for those waiting for a first consultant appointment, which has increased from 70,000 in 2008/09 to 428,000 in 2023/24.

The SDLP’s Colin McGrath also asked ministers to apologise to the “hundreds of thousands of people who are languishing on waiting lists who will look at this statement today for some hope but don’t see any concrete actions, just some warm words”.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill rejected this, stating the Executive was “going to work night and day to fix our health service” while the deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, accused Mr O’Toole of “relentless negativity”.

BMA NI Council chair, Dr Alan Stout, said he agreed “overall” with the goals set out, but after a decade of debate on transforming the health service “the pace of change has been far too slow and none of it has made sufficient impact where it matters, for patients”.

Calling on the Executive to “be bold” and quicken the pace tor the good of patients, he said this could mean “unpopular decisions”.

“We cannot keep doing what we are doing and hope it will lead to better outcomes,” he said.

“Doctors are more than willing to be involved in the process and as frontline clinicians are best placed to advise on some of these changes and optimise patient care,” he said.

“Increasing the capacity within the health service with be reliant on the workforce so it is imperative that the department address the outstanding pay issues for junior and SAS doctors as part of the process of moving forward.”

With the longest waiting lists in the UK made worse by rising demand and the pandemic, the Executive document said that long-term reorganisation was needed.

This includes moving away from relying on acute interventions in hospitals towards more investment in primary, community and social care.

They added that progress had already been made by developing elective care centres, rapid diagnostic centres, service reviews and mega clinics.

Health Trusts were also working to improve efficiency while the Social Care Collaborative Forum was working to reform adult social care.

“Given the importance of addressing waiting lists, investments of £76m have been approved for 2024/25,” the document read.

Last year, they said 263,000 assessments, treatments and diagnostics had been addressed with this funding.

“This is, however, significantly less than what is required to reduce waiting lists and, as such, our focus will be on supporting those on cancer and time-critical waiting lists.

“It will not be possible to reduce our lengthy waiting times within the funding currently available.”

The Executive promised to “prepare for future investments” that will help to provide improvements and efficiencies to help them reduce waiting times.

It also said that while extra money grows short-term capacity, “the journey of reform must continue” to meet long-term challenges.

This is to include; investing in the workforce, delivering digital capability, “difficult decisions about reconfiguration”, “supporting a move to addressing health inequalities” and improving public health through primary, community and social care.

Funding pressures, however, mean that the pace of reform will be “negatively impacted for longer than any of us would like.”

In the meantime, they said reforming health and social care and actions to help people remain health and tackle health inequalities “will improve the live of all our citizens and relieve pressures on the Health and Social Care System.”