SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has expressed his continued frustration at the quarterly North of Ireland Waiting Time Statistics.
The figures show that 32.1% of patients were waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment.
Said the Foyle MLA: “It is immensely frustrating to once again see that waiting times are continuing to deteriorate. The figures for this quarter show that over 275,000 people were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment, 2.2% more than at March 2018 and 4.3% higher than at June 2017.
“Despite hard working staff who constantly go above and beyond, we continue to be in a situation where people are waiting much longer than they should for an appointment.
“Over 88,000 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for a first consultant-led appointment.
“The knock-on effect of delays in first appointments leads to further delays down the line for treatment and operations.
“We must remember that each of these statistics is more than a number.
“They are family, friends and loved ones whose lives have been put on hold while they wait for appointments.
“I hear from people day and daily who are struggling as they wait, or their appointments are continually put on hold.
“If nothing changes, things will only get worse.
“The SDLP has always been consistent in calls for the transformation of the Health Service and if we are to tackle them at their core, we must have an overall transformation of our Health Service.
“Without transformation, we will continue to fail patients and fail staff. It is absolutely imperative that we have a functioning Assembly and Executive with Ministers in place to tackle these issues head on,” added Mr Durkan.
