NI waiting lists: Robin Swann warns of funding pressure despite £46m allocation

The health minister has announced initiatives to reduce Northern Ireland's hospital waiting lists, but has warned of "significant" funding pressures.

Latest figures show there are more than 350,000 people waiting on a first outpatient appointment.

Funding of £46m will be allocated for tackling waiting lists covering April to September of this year.

Omagh Hospital will also become a regional day procedure centre.

In a written statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly, Robin Swann said the money had been allocated despite "ongoing budgetary uncertainty".

It will create additional in-house health service capacity over and above normal day-to-day work, such as staff for surgical theatres and more beds.

Omagh Hospital will become Northern Ireland's second regional day procedure centre, which will see an extra 1,750 patients treated per year across urology and general surgery.

These are two specialities with some of the longest waiting times.

The hospital is one of two day procedure centres in Northern Ireland.

The other, in Lagan Valley Hospital, was set up in 2020 and delivers 900 theatre lists per year across ear, nose, throat (ENT), urology, hernias and gynaecology.

The money will also be used to pay the private sector to assess and treat patients on waiting lists.

The minister has also announced additional recurrent funding of more than £16m aimed at boosting capacity.

Mr Swann said the £46m that has been set aside for waiting lists was "not without risk" in the absence of a budget, and would mean less money available for other aspects of health and social care.

He also warned that funding pressures in health may be significant by the second half of this financial year and that the financial situation will undoubtedly be constrained.

Mr Swann said funding elements of the health service on a quarter-to-quarter basis is the worst possible way to deliver services and he called for urgent clarity on this year's budget outcome.

The latest quarterly figures on inpatient, day case and diagnostic waiting times are due to be published by the Department of Health tomorrow.

Mark Taylor, from the Royal College of Surgeons, said the majority of patients waiting for a procedure fit into the day-surgery category.

"The creation of the regional centre in Omagh, with the recurring funding, is a real step in the right direction because we can address those people waiting for day surgery," he said.

"Clearly it isn't enough in terms of then dealing with those people waiting for complex or surgery that requires them to be in hospital for several days.

"This is the start of a journey where we continue to create more surgical hubs to separate elective from emergency."