NI hospital consultant waiting lists at all-time high

The longest outpatient waiting list is for general surgery

Northern Ireland has recorded its highest ever number of people waiting for an appointment with a hospital consultant.

More than half a million people are now on lists to have their first consultation with a specialist.

Figures released by the Department of Health reveal that as of 30 September this year, 506,612 people had yet to be seen.

The longest outpatient waiting list is for general surgery, however, every treatment specialism list has grown, with the exception of ophthalmology.

Patients waiting for ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) treatment have the second longest wait, followed by gynaecology.

The figures also show that more than half of all patients have been waiting more than a year to be seen.

Almost 110,000 patients are waiting on an inpatient or day case admission to hospitals across Northern Ireland's five health trusts.

The latest figures relate to the period up until 30 September.

The Department of Health advised that while caution was needed with the statistics because of the introduction of the new electronic records system Encompass, they gave "a meaningful representation" of current waiting lists.