Northern Trust patients waiting longest for CT scans

While at the Mater Hospital patients only had to wait 2.7 weeks on average, those in the Northern Trust had to wait between 9.6 and 10.9 weeks for this type of scan.

The longest wait in any Belfast Trust hospital was on average 8.3 weeks at Belfast City.

Meanwhile, at Antrim Area Hospital patients had to wait 9.6 weeks - and that is still the lowest timescale in the Northern Trust.

Mid-Ulster offered the scan after 10.5 weeks on average. At Causeway, patients had to wait 10.9 weeks which was the longest in Northern Ireland albeit the Western Trust did not provide results.

The Southern Trust were somewhat better with an average waiting time of some 5.3 weeks in their three hospitals. The South-Eastern Trust averaged a 5.6 weeks wait.

A computerised tomography (CT) scan uses X-rays to create detailed images of the inside of the body and can be done while you’re staying in hospital or during a short visit. They are quick, painless and generally safe.

CT scans can produce detailed images of many structures inside the body, including the internal organs, blood vessels and bones, and can be used to diagnose conditions including damage to bones, injuries to internal organs, problems with blood flow, strokes and cancer.

The wait for an MRI Scan is significantly better in the Northern Trust. Though only Antrim Area Hospital provides the service, the wait was 4.4 weeks.

The average waiting time for an MRI from amongst the four Belfast Trust hospitals was 8.4 weeks.

Only Craigavon Area - seven week wait - provided the service in the Southern Trust.