South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) has experienced a significant rise in waiting times for both out-patient consultations and in-patient/day-case procedures over the past five years, The Impartial Reporter can reveal.

Recent data, seen by this newspaper, reveals a concerning increase in long-term waits:

As of June 2024, 6,090 patients were waiting over a year for an appointment. This marks a dramatic rise compared to previous years.

In relation to in-patient/day-case procedures, 438 patients were on the waiting list for over a year as of June 2024.

In June 2019, patients seeking out-patient consultations at SWAH faced a median waiting time of 17.9 weeks. But by June 2024, this waiting time had more than tripled, reaching a staggering 61.3 weeks.

This alarming increase highlights a substantial delay in the time patients must wait for out-patient appointments, raising concerns about the hospital’s ability to provide timely care.

The information has been obtained by The Impartial Reporter via Freedom of Information.

The median waiting time for in-patient and day-case procedures also saw a significant rise. In June 2019, patients waited an average of 8.22 weeks. By June 2024, this waiting time had nearly tripled to 24.37 weeks. This sharp increase indicates that patients are now facing much longer waits for in-patient or day-case treatments, which could have serious implications for their health outcomes.

Summary of Key Statistics

Total Waiting List and Number of Patients

Out-patient consultations:

•Total waits: 11,191

•Total number of patients: 10,162

In-patient/day-case procedures:

•Total waits: 1,419

•Total number of patients: 1,405

Patients Waiting Over 18 Weeks:

•Out-patient consultations: 8,314

•In-patient/day-case procedures: 784

Patients Waiting Over a Year:

•Out-patient consultations: 6,090

•In-patient/day-case procedures: 438

These figures reflect the growing pressure on SWAH’s resources, leading to longer delays for patients seeking treatment.

Residents and health campaigners have been calling for immediate measures to reduce waiting times and ensure that patients receive the care they need in a timely manner. They believe prolonged delays not only affect the quality of healthcare but also have a significant impact on the well-being of patients and their families.

A spokeswoman for Save Our Acute Services (SOAS), said the figures should be a “cause for concern for our entire population.

“Outpatient clinics can highlight serious medical problems. The WHSCT website today still states that despite the ‘temporary’ removal of Emergency General Surgery from our hospital - ‘Outpatient services including general surgery Outpatients are not affected’.

“Sadly, this is not the case. In fact, 21 per cent of their total outpatient waiting lists across the Western Trust are in the speciality of general surgery - which is no longer available to SWAH.

‘Waiting lists’

“We would also point out that there are many on waiting lists whose appointments will not be offered in SWAH at all. So many clinics and specialities have been lost to the hospital since it was opened.

“This trend of taking services away from us is exactly what we see happening due to the suspension of emergency [general] surgery in our hospital.

“This is something that as a community we should actively resist in as much as we can.”