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16/01/2006
£35M investment to cut waiting times
Health Minister Shaun Woodward has today revealed a new system to revolutionise hospital outpatient's services and cut down waiting times for patients.
Mr Woodward referred to current waiting times as "appalling" and emphasised that there would be a "total transformation" in the current system.
It is hoped that a new Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (ICATS), will be up and running by April, which will ensure that once patients have seen their GP, they will be referred to a specialist as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Approximately £35 million is to be invested into the transformation of the system in what the Minister has said to be "one of the single largest investments in public services in Northern Ireland."
He said: "I am passionate in reforming our public services for the good of patients. I am also totally committed to the eradication of hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland. To do this, investment is needed and we will now make that investment.
"So far we have invested more than an additional £5m in 2005/06 to tackle the waiting list problem. We will be adding substantial additional funding in the next two years. In 2006/7 there will be further additional investment of £12m and in 2007/08 a further £18m, bringing total investment to over £35m."
Mr Woodward continued by saying that the money would be spent on the development of the new ICATS services and will provide for substantial investment in diagnostic capacity, particularly in areas such as MRI and CT scanning.
He added that the there would also be particular attention paid to investing into key hospital services such as orthopaedics, urology and neurosurgery.
(EF/SP)
Mr Woodward referred to current waiting times as "appalling" and emphasised that there would be a "total transformation" in the current system.
It is hoped that a new Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service (ICATS), will be up and running by April, which will ensure that once patients have seen their GP, they will be referred to a specialist as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Approximately £35 million is to be invested into the transformation of the system in what the Minister has said to be "one of the single largest investments in public services in Northern Ireland."
He said: "I am passionate in reforming our public services for the good of patients. I am also totally committed to the eradication of hospital waiting lists in Northern Ireland. To do this, investment is needed and we will now make that investment.
"So far we have invested more than an additional £5m in 2005/06 to tackle the waiting list problem. We will be adding substantial additional funding in the next two years. In 2006/7 there will be further additional investment of £12m and in 2007/08 a further £18m, bringing total investment to over £35m."
Mr Woodward continued by saying that the money would be spent on the development of the new ICATS services and will provide for substantial investment in diagnostic capacity, particularly in areas such as MRI and CT scanning.
He added that the there would also be particular attention paid to investing into key hospital services such as orthopaedics, urology and neurosurgery.
(EF/SP)
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