Latest news with #electivecare
BBC News
28-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
NI waiting lists: Senior surgeon appointed to tackle 'national shame'
A senior surgeon appointed to tackle Northern Ireland's health waiting lists has said the delays are "nothing short of a national shame".The lists are at an all-time high with some specialities recording the highest number of patients and waits across the Mark Taylor acknowledged that it would be a "long-term challenge", but said he would work "tirelessly" with his health service colleagues to turn things Clinical Director for Elective Care, his appointment is the first time someone has been directly tasked with tackling the problem. More than half a million people are on lists to have their first consultation with a longest outpatient waiting list is for general surgery, followed by ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) treatment and gynaecology, however, almost every treatment specialism list has grown."The minister has spoken previously about being at the foothills on it," Prof Taylor said."I will be devoting all my energies to it and I know colleagues will be doing the same." "There are many vital facets to the ongoing drive for elective care recovery in NI – including reform, investment, improved productivity and reducing clinical variance," said Health Minister Mike Nesbitt."The overriding goal, of course, has to be to get many more people off waiting lists," the minister appointment is a similar approach to NHS England where a new government initiative is sending top doctors into support health trusts where more people are waiting for treatment and out of may be a result of the recent appointment of Mike Farrar as Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health (DoH).Mr Farrar previously worked for NHS England and would have knowledge of the benefits of having clinical specialists taking the lead on waiting list is a targeted approach, and data shows it is making a difference. Analysis from BBC News NI Health Correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly:Mark Taylor is facing a Herculean people have been waiting 9 years on a list, sadly many have died while it is not all about the money, it's also about having a stable workforce to staff hospital theatres 24/ the moment, the workforce is in parts fragile and few hospitals, excluding perhaps the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen, has vacant hospital this stage what is not clear is just how much the independent sector will be employed and if the hospital system will be on full power seven days a the most achievable aspect of all this is communicating with need to be able to plan their lives and told realistically when their operation or procedure will take this appointment is a success will depend if Prof Taylor is given the authority to make his own what is unclear if targets aren't met and lists not cleared, who will be held to account - Mark Taylor or the health minister?For now, Mark Taylor has stepped up to the plate - a keen cyclist - he's aware there are hills to climb and difficult conditions to navigate. Tackling hospital waits was listed as a priority in the Programme for Government with up to £215m earmarked for elective care initiatives in this financial year. The funding covers three categories and includes; £85m for red flag and time critical care, £80m for building up capacity to "address the long standing mismatch with demand" and up to £50m to start tackling the backlog in Elective Care Framework plan to tackle waiting lists was published in June 2021, updated in 2024 and in May a funding plan was to the DoH, since 2022 there have been some improvements in the treatment waiting lists - that means once people get into the system and are seen by a consultant, their treatment plan tends to have less of a delay. Transformation to date includes:An orthopaedic hub at Musgrave Park Hospital, between 2021 and 2024, where more than 18,000 patients have been treatedDedicated Day Procedure Centres at Lagan Valley and Omagh Hospitals with according to DOH statistics approximately 17,905 patients treated across a range of specialtiesElective Overnight Stay Centres at Daisy Hill, Mater and South West Acute Hospitals, since 2023 over 18,277 patients have been treated across all three sitesTwo dedicated regional endoscopy centres within Lagan Valley and Omagh hospitals have treated 13,999 patientsSpeciality centres for cataracts at Down, South Tyrone and Mid Ulster Hospitals
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Views sought over Black Country elective healthcare services
Patients are being asked to help shape health services as the NHS explores ideas to boost planned care through the creation of surgical up centres of excellence for planned surgery would improve outcomes and help reduce waiting times across hospitals, a partnership of some West Midlands trusts partnership, which involves the Dudley Group, Sandwell and West Birmingham, Walsall and Royal Wolverhampton NHS trusts, said it was working to manage rising demand for services and "improve access and patient experience".Patients are being encouraged to share their views on elective care by way of a survey that is open until 27 July. One concept is for the Dudley and Sandwell and West Birmingham trusts to bring together some of their surgical services at a Sandwell Health Campus to carry out routine procedures "for general surgery, orthopaedics and gynaecology".Other ideas being explored include developing new specialist services so fewer patients need to travel outside the Black Country for care lead for the Black Country Diane Wake said timely, "high-quality care is so important to our communities".She added "we want to give them the opportunity to reshape elective care to make it work better for patients and staff alike". Ms Wake said: "I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to share their views - your voice will help us build a stronger, more responsive health system for the future."Patients who are waiting for surgery, have recent experience of elective care or simply want to help shape a better future for local health services are encouraged to complete the survey, which can be accessed here. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
