42% spike in red flag referrals and hike in fractures having impact on elective waiting lists: Guckian

Transcript

00:00We have to acknowledge that at times our elective care suffers from other

00:04pressures. Red flag referrals are up by an average 21% across Northern

00:12Ireland. I keep slipping into Western Trust figures, I don't

00:15apologize for that, but it's over 42% in the Western Trust. So clearly

00:19clinicians will have to concentrate on red flag referrals because of the

00:23pathway that people are on and it's quite right that they do so, but that is

00:27often at the expense of elective sessions. I would highlight as well

00:31trauma, which is the emergency side of orthopaedics. Basically that has

00:37significantly increased as well since pre-pandemic levels. So we have more hip

00:42fractures by a factor of 28% up in Western Trust. Other fractures are up by

00:48over 30%. That means we have to stand down elective sessions to treat the

00:54trauma. Now the patient doesn't recognize that that's the

00:59implication of their operation. Clinicians get very frustrated because

01:02they recognize the needs in their waiting list, but they have to be

01:06reminded they're doing the right thing, they're treating the patients as

01:08patients need. So we have to acknowledge that the emergency is having an impact

01:13on our elective work.