Five-month wait for emergency appointment

Mr Redpath’s comments come after a Maze woman contacted the Ulster Star, angered that her husband was expected to wait five months for an emergency appointment and 50 weeks for a non-emergency appointment to see the oncologist.

The woman eventually got an appointment in November but said that if she had to wait until March 2015 for an appointment ’my husband could have been dead and buried by then.’

She added: “To say that you have to wait five months for an emergency oncology appointment is just ridiculous.

“It tells a lot about the state of the health service.

“Even now that he has an appointment in four weeks’ time, even that I think is still too long.”

Mr Redpath said, “The Ulster Unionist Party is becoming increasingly concerned about the state of cancer services in Northern Ireland.

“Demand is growing year on year and the Health Department has failed to budget and plan appropriately for this.

“Unfortunately this growing demand, accompanied with the lasting of the inadequate 2011-2015 DUP/SF Budget, is beginning to have a knock-on impact on cancer treatment waiting times.

“For instance the health service has a target to ensure that 95% of people wait no more than 62 days between seeing their GP and receiving their first treatment. Unfortunately during the summer this target was met in barely more than 70% of cases. I and my party are becoming increasingly concerned that cancer patients will also be left paying the price for the current financial crisis at Stormont.”