Mr. Bernard Gloster:

People are often blinded by figures. Do figures represent the lived experience of people? I am very conscious there are many people today who still have a difficulty, particularly in accessing services. To answer the Deputy’s question directly and based on the evidence, we have reduced the real number of people admitted to hospital on trolleys by substantial proportions – in excess of 12% and up to 14% in some cases - compared with the previous year.

We did that in a winter where the demand increased further. Against a 10% increase in demand, 400 more people a day have turned up in our emergency departments since the beginning of this year. Approximately 125 to 130 of those are being admitted extra every day, yet we have still managed to reduce the delayed transfers of care, which means the system is more productive and efficient. We have also managed to reduce the number of people on trolleys. We do have pressures in some sites, and there is no denying that.

Equally, there has been improvement in the scheduled care waiting lists. Some might say it is modest but, given the volume of people now presenting for care, this is all a sign of good return. This is considering the substantial increases in the number of people being referred to outpatient departments, this year on top of last year, and last year was an unprecedented year. I would certainly say, and I do not want to avoid Deputy Durkan's question, that our focus this year must be on the productivity of the resources that we have. There is certainly more in that, and I am very focused on that.