AQW 40374/22-27

Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast

Tabled Date: 11/02/2026
Answered On Date: 27/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the roll-out of encompass.

Answer:

Encompass is now live in all Health and Social Care Trusts after a phased rollout completed in May 2025. This introduces a single digital care record for every patient and service user and aims to improve patient care, safety, and efficiency by providing staff with access to vital information and allowing patients to view and manage their own health data via the My Care patient portal.

Stabilisation and optimisation activities are ongoing with additional elements delivered including Northern Ireland Specialist Transport and Retrieval (NISTAR) in July 2025 and Healthcare in Prisons in November 2025. In March 2026 the encompass upgrade will add new features, chosen by the five Health and Social Care Trusts. These new features will further optimise how the system works and continue to tailor it to Health and Social Care staff.

Further areas including Mortality & Morbidity Pathways, Child Health System Replacement and Children’s Social Care are under development and will be implemented over the coming year along with further enhancements to the My Care portal.