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Monthly Archives: June 2018
Beggs receives update from Department re: North Road railway bridge
East Antrim Ulster Unionist Party MLA Roy Beggs has received an update from the Department of Infrastructure in relation to his request “for a significant upgrade in warning signage so that visitors driving high sided vehicles are less likely to get caught out” at the North Road railway bridge. The Department of Infrastructure have advised the MLA as follows: “I can confirm that the Department and Translink carried out an audit of the signage on the approaches to North Road bridge in September 2016 and found it to be in accordance with current advice and best practice. There are warning signs on the two approaches to the bridge which clearly indicate the presence of a low bridge stating the maximum height of vehicle which can safely pass under the bridge. There is a responsibility for all drivers to be in control of their vehicles at all times and to pay … Continue reading
‘Lives at risk’ as more than 80000 people wait over a year for outpatient appointment
Warning: Margaret Carr By Gillian Halliday June 1 2018 Local outpatient waiting times are threatening to spiral out of control, politicians have claimed. A bulletin released yesterday revealed that over 80,000 people had waited more than a year for their first outpatient appointment with a consultant. The quarterly update covered the period up to March 31. There was a slight drop in the total number of patients (269,834) waiting, compared to the 271,553 on the list in December last year. But the Royal College of Surgeons said the number of people waiting more than a year equated to one in five patients. According to government targets, 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks for their first outpatient appointment, and no one should have to wait more than a year. However, as of March 31, more than 30% of patients were in that position. SDLP MLA Mark H … Continue reading
One in three waiting over year for first consultant appointment
Nearly a third of patients in Northern Ireland have to wait over a year for their first appointment with a consultant, new figures reveal. The number of people waiting more than 12 months for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment has risen dramatically – up from around 53,000 last year to around 83,000 this year. The figures, released by the Department of Health on Thursday morning, have been described as “scandalous” by the UUP. The figures show the number of people on waiting lists on March 31, and the length of time they have been waiting. In November 2016, the News Letter revealed that Stormont had quietly shifted the goalposts in how it measures the waiting times to make targets easier to reach. In 2014-15, the target was to keep no more than 20% of outpatients waiting nine weeks, and to have every single outpatient seen within 15. Now, the targets … Continue reading
