AQO 247/22-27

Mr Nick Mathison
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 14/03/2024
Answered On Date: 09/04/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance to outline the average waiting time for an Occupational Health Service medical assessment.

Answer:

Significant work has been ongoing within my Department’s Occupational Health Service to reduce the waiting times for assessments.

An Occupational Health Consultant has taken up the Lead Medical Officer position within the Occupational Health Service in March 2024 and the launch of a recruitment campaign for additional medical officers is imminent.

As part of this recruitment exercise, we are also seeking to appoint additional nursing staff, and are introducing a new role within the Occupational Health Service of Occupational Health technicians.

Occupational Health Service assessments often requires input from external sources such as GP’s and others who provide specialist medical services to Occupational Health Service users. It is often the case that obtaining all of the information required contributes to the time required to undertake the occupational health assessment process.

Unfortunately, given the complexity involved and the limited numbers of medical staff, this can result in some assessments with a waiting time of up to four months. Assessment can be arranged more promptly depending on the range of factors involved and the complexity of the assessment.

When additional medical officers, nursing staff and occupational health technicians are in post, this will have a positive impact on waiting times to access occupational health services.