AQW 42791/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 19/03/2026
Answered On Date: 10/06/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of people who are on inpatient waiting lists for (a) cataract surgery; and (b) Posterior Capsule Opacification treated by Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet laser capsulotomy, in each Heath and Social Care Trust, and (ii) the number of these surgeries or treatments that have been carried out in each quarter of the last five years, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.

Answer:

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) and Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) are the two provider Trusts of Ophthalmic Services on behalf of the region.

In BHSCT the number of people who are on inpatient waiting lists for (a) cataract surgery is 2789 patients and (b) 615 awaiting an outpatient procedure for Posterior Capsule Opacification treated by Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet laser capsulotomy.

In the WHSCT there are currently 1,064 on the cataract surgical inpatient waiting list and 145 awaiting an outpatient procedure for Posterior Capsule Opacification treated by Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet laser capsulotomy.

The number of cataract surgeries performed in Health and Social Care Trust hospitals in Northern Ireland in each quarter of the last five years, from 2020/21 to 2024/25 are tabled below.

Year	Quarter	Health and Social Care Trust
		Belfast	Northern	South Eastern	Southern	Western
2020/21	QE Jun 20	250	8	79	0	40
2020/21	QE Sep 20	179	212	374	158	225
2020/21	QE Dec 20	187	73	521	153	250
2020/21	QE Mar 21	184	0	99	155	110
2021/22	QE Jun 21	257	266	623	333	267
2021/22	QE Sep 21	187	110	538	160	192
2021/22	QE Dec 21	150	36	612	286	386
2021/22	QE Mar 22	204	263	533	346	420
2022/23	QE Jun 22	233	348	711	433	383
2022/23	QE Sep 22	284	323	679	403	351
2022/23	QE Dec 22	276	413	640	454	227
2022/23	QE Mar 23	341	358	474	413	225
2023/24	QE Jun 23	274	371	541	381	283
2023/24	QE Sep 23	260	337	531	383	254
2023/24	QE Dec 23	287	443	527	433	274
2023/24	QE Mar 24	407	463	602	467	265
2024/25	QE Jun 24	330	446	488	329	378
2024/25	QE Sep 24	156	458	487	325	442
2024/25	QE Dec 24	241	317	634	342	429
2024/25	QE Mar 25	174	382	660	241	364

Source: Hospital Inpatient System, Hospital Activity Information Branch, Information & Analysis Directorate, Department of Health, NI.

The number of patients with Posterior Capsule Opacification treated by Yttrium-Aluminium-Garnet (YAG) Laser Capsulotomy in Health and Social Care Hospitals in Northern Ireland in each quarter from 2020/21 to 2024/25 is tabled below.

Year	Quarter	Health Trust
		Belfast	Western
2020/21	QE Jun 20	4	4
2020/21	QE Sep 20	105	4
2020/21	QE Dec 20	120	4
2020/21	QE Mar 21	132	2
2021/22	QE Jun 21	121	5
2021/22	QE Sep 21	126	7
2021/22	QE Dec 21	110	6
2021/22	QE Mar 22	141	12
2022/23	QE Jun 22	96	13
2022/23	QE Sep 22	71	9
2022/23	QE Dec 22	108	11
2022/23	QE Mar 23	150	17
2023/24	QE Jun 23	79	14
2023/24	QE Sep 23	116	0
2023/24	QE Dec 23	104	1
2023/24	QE Mar 24	234	0
2024/25	QE Jun 24	218	9
2024/25	QE Sep 24	3	9
2024/25	QE Dec 24	65	0
2024/25	QE Mar 25	1	1

Source: Hospital Inpatient System, Hospital Activity Information Branch, Information & Analysis Directorate, Department of Health, NI.