AQW 42646/22-27


Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast


Tabled Date: 18/03/2026
Answered On Date: 06/05/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the development of multi-disciplinary teams to deliver improved breast cancer services.


Answer:
The £5 million identified in the 2025/26 Elective Care Framework (ECF) Funding and Implementation plan for breast services is recurrent funding, not a one‑off allocation. This means it will continue to be available annually to support the modernisation and sustainability of breast cancer services.
It is not yet possible to confirm the final expenditure for 2025/26, as Quarter 4 activity and costs are still being finalised. However, expenditure for Quarters 1 to 3 is approximately £1.14m.
During 2025/26, the primary focus was the transition to the regional Breast Waiting List. Alongside this, regional efforts to improve breast assessment waiting times included maximising core capacity, delivering additional evening and weekend clinics, and securing sessional input from NHS Scotland. Having maximised all feasible additional breast activity, any remaining funding was redirected to other red‑flag or time‑critical pressures across the wider elective care system. This ensured the allocation supported urgent patient need and did not sit unused.
The focus is now shifting towards the implementation of a consistent, modernised service model for Northern Ireland that operates 50 weeks per year, is consultant‑led (rather than consultant‑delivered), and makes greater use of an expanded multidisciplinary skill mix. Key principles for this model have been agreed through the newly established Breast Operational Delivery Network.
A regional workforce gap analysis is underway, aligned to the agreed model, and will inform the investment plan associated with the recurrent £5 million.
It is important to recognise that the £5 million investment cannot be mobilised overnight. While it will support the development of a sustainable, skill‑mixed service, many of the new or redesigned roles will require structured training and competency development. These training lead‑in times create an inevitable delay before the full benefits of investment can be realised and embedded consistently across all Trusts.