Slight fall in NI hospital waiting times

Image source, Thinkstock

Image caption, Waiting times for a first consultant-led appointments in Northern Ireland have fallen very slightly

Department of Health figures show waiting times for a first consultant-led appointment in Northern Ireland have fallen very slightly over the last quarter.

At the end of March, 269,834 patients were waiting. In December 2017, it was 271,553.

The number waiting is more than six percent up on the same period for 2017.

The ministerial target is that 50% of patients should wait no longer than nine weeks.