AQW 6041/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 09/02/2024
Answered On Date: 22/02/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what action he is taking to ensure red-flagged breast clinic referrals are meeting their target of receiving an appointment within two weeks.

Answer:

The Department continues to work with all Trusts to reduce the current waiting time for breast assessments. Non-recurrent funding has been allocated to Trusts in 2023/24 to support additional waiting list initiative work, using both inhouse and independent sector capacity. In addition, the Department continues to facilitate the equalisation and reduction of waiting times through the inter-Trust transfer of patients.

Bringing our waiting lists to an acceptable level across a range of specialties, including breast services, is a long term collective effort requiring sustained and substantial investment and additional staffing. The scale at which I will be able to tackle the unacceptable waiting lists will be greatly influenced by the outcome of the current budgetary discussions.