AQW 20704/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 16/01/2025
Answered On Date: 10/06/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any plans he has to (i) open diagnostic services twelve hours per day; and (ii) make diagnostic services available seven days a week.

Answer:

Diagnostic services include a wide range of imaging, pathology and other tests which clinicians request in all healthcare settings to help identify illness and determine treatment pathways for their patients. Many of these services are provided on evenings, weekends and on a 24/7 basis.

The 2024 Elective Care Framework and the more recent May 2025 Implementation and Funding Plan, sets out clear proposals for how we will systematically tackle the backlog of patients waiting longer than Ministerial standards. It will also detail how we will invest in and transform services to allow us to meet the population’s demands in future.

The Executive has ringfenced up to £215m in this year’s Health budget for waiting list activities and £12m of this funding has been earmarked for the expansion of diagnostic services. This funding will be used to expand MRI, CT and NOUS capacity across the region in core hours, evenings and weekends, as outlined in the May 2025 Implementation and Funding Plan.