Hospital waiting times adds pressure on staff as patients face delays

HOSPITAL waiting times across the Western Trust area have come under scrutiny, mounting onto the strain of the frontline staff and the impact of prolonged delays that patients and families are facing.

Speaking on the issue, West Tyrone SDLP MLA Daniel McCrosson, said the health service is failing those who rely on it most.

“Our health service is broken, and people are paying the price,” he said. “On a daily basis, my office is inundated with calls and messages from families who are deeply worried about their loved ones. People are waiting months for appointments. Families left chasing answers. Patients living with fear and anxiety while conditions worsen.”

McCrosson stressed that delays in diagnosis can have devastating consequences. “Early diagnosis saves lives. Delays steal futures. That is the reality facing far too many people here,” he said.

He was careful to distinguish between frontline healthcare workers and those responsible for wider decision-making. “This is not about frontline staff, who continue to go above and beyond in an overstretched system. This is about political failure,” he said, accusing Executive parties of being distracted by “petty squabbles, point scoring and drift” instead of addressing core issues within the health service."

“People do not care about Government sham fights. They care about whether their mum gets diagnosed in time, whether their partner gets treatment before it is too late, whether their child gets the care they need,” he added.

McCrosson called on the Executive to prioritise early diagnosis, tackle waiting lists and restore accountability and public trust.

“Our people deserve better than excuses. They deserve leadership, urgency and action now.”

In response, a spokesperson for the Western Health and Social Care Trust acknowledged the intense pressures currently facing services at Altnagelvin Hospital and South West Acute Hospital, SWAH.

“Altnagelvin Hospital and South West Acute Hospital continue to be extremely busy and have been experiencing sustained pressures over the past number of weeks, as has been the case in hospitals across the region. These pressures are not just in our Emergency Departments, but across our hospital sites and community services.

The Western Trust apologised to patients experiencing long waits, describing the situation as “not the service we wish to provide our patients.”

According to the spokesperson, Emergency Departments are seeing high numbers of attendances alongside an increase in the acuity of patients presenting.

“Our Emergency Departments continue to see high numbers of attendees and an increase in acuity of patients. 80% of those attending ED will be discharged from ED, but 1 in 5 will require admission to hospital for further investigations or treatment. On any given day, there may be up to 60/70 patients or more awaiting admission across our two acute hospital sites at SWAH and Altnagelvin, however at present, this number has significantly increased, which impacts on the ability of staff to assess the high number of patients attending ED each day. Furthermore, with the number of patients requiring admission to a bed this also leads to ongoing challenges around bed pressures, with every available escalated bed being used on both sites at present."

The Western Trust concluded that they want to reassure the public that they are doing the best that they can to care for their patients at this very challenging time.

"We also wish to thank our staff for the excellent care they provide to our patients under difficult circumstances," the spokesperson said.

Official waiting time figures underline the scale of the problem. Data published by the Western Health and Social Care Trust, correct as of Thursday, May 1, 2025, for County Tyrone, show stark differences depending on the urgency of care required.

For flexi-sigmoidoscopy procedures, patients on the Red Flag pathway, typically those with suspected cancer, wait an average of three weeks. However, urgent cases face an average wait of 118 weeks, while routine patients wait an average of 151 weeks.

In gynaecology treatment, Red Flag patients wait an average of two weeks, urgent cases 20 weeks, and routine cases 46 weeks.

Outpatient gastroenterology waiting times show a similar pattern, with Red Flag patients waiting three weeks, urgent patients 94 weeks and routine patients an average of 189 weeks.

Responding to concerns about cancer waiting times, the Health Minister said recent figures reflect an “early stage in the transition” to a new regional breast assessment service. While acknowledging that performance dipped during the transition, the Minister said the reform was necessary and is beginning to deliver results.

“Since the end of the reporting period there has been very real progress,” the Minister said. “Between October and December, 928 extra red-flag slots were delivered, and the regional breast assessment waiting list reduced from 12 weeks in September to just over seven weeks in mid-December.”

The Minister said the introduction of a regional booking system was designed to address significant inequalities in access to care, noting that before reform, performance varied dramatically between Trusts. A structural shortfall of around 3,900 patients per year had also been identified, driven by rising referrals and workforce pressures, particularly in radiology.

“I acknowledge that 14-day and 62-day performance dipped during the transition period,” the Minister said. “These were expected short-term effects. The benefits of reform are long-term.”

While assurances have been given that improving cancer performance remains a top priority, others argue that patients continue to bear the brunt of delays in general. As pressures persist across hospitals, the debate over accountability, reform and resources shows no sign of easing.