{"id":17939,"date":"2022-04-29T01:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.economicsobservatory.com\/?post_type=question&p=17939"},"modified":"2022-05-03T11:27:45","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T10:27:45","slug":"how-can-the-northern-irish-healthcare-system-be-fixed","status":"publish","type":"question","link":"https:\/\/www.economicsobservatory.com\/test\/how-can-the-northern-irish-healthcare-system-be-fixed","title":{"rendered":"How can the Northern Irish healthcare system be fixed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are continuing concerns about the performance of Northern Ireland\u2019s health and social care system (Heenan and Appleby, 2017<\/a>). Seven fundamental reviews of healthcare in the nation have been completed in just over 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A broad consensus on the key issues has emerged from these reviews. There is an over-abundance of \u2013 and excessive reliance on \u2013 hospital-provided care in Northern Ireland. The healthcare system requires more effective performance management, greater strategic workforce planning and changes to the level and period over which funding is provided to facilitate a more strategic approach to service planning and delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Northern Irish healthcare system is arguably as well funded as in other parts of the UK. But statistics on its performance are stark (O\u2019Neill et al, 2021<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both waiting list sizes and the waiting time for a first appointment in Northern Ireland are the worst in the UK. For example, in 2019, before the disruption of services caused by Covid-19, the number of people waiting over a year for a consultant-led outpatient appointment was 100 times greater in Northern Ireland than it was in England<\/a> (allowing for differences in population size).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2021, almost 85% of outpatient appointments breached the ministerial waiting time target of nine weeks, with over 52% of outpatients waiting more than a year to be seen. Further, 81.5% breached the 13-week waiting time target for admission for treatment, with almost 58% of patients waiting more than a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of those waiting for a diagnostic test, almost 57% breached the target of nine weeks with over a third waiting more than 26 weeks (Department of Health, 2022<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure 1: Northern Ireland waiting time statistics, outpatient waiting times, quarter ending December 2021<\/h4>\n\n\n
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