Northern Ireland waiting lists: £135m per year needed for backlog

Department official Dr Tomas Adell told Stormont’s health committee that the “backlog is huge and the numbers are completely unacceptable”.

He said the waiting list issue has been worsening since 2010 and was “impossible” to resolve quickly.

“We estimate that it can be done in five years if we have huge investment… but this is not an easy fix,” said Dr Adell.

He said the waiting list problem could not be dealt with through efficiency savings alone.

“To fix the backlog, we estimate that it would cost up to £135m a year for up to five years.

“These are very significant investment requirements in a very challenging context – but that is the reality,” he said.