AQW 49440/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 23/06/2026
Answered On Date: 21/07/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any process in place for notifying someone that they have been removed from a health waiting list.

Answer:

Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts follow regionally agreed processes when removing patients from a waiting list. The required communication with both the patient and their General Practitioner (GP) is detailed in the Integrated Elective Access Protocol (IEAP).

Where a patient is removed, for example following a DNA (Did Not Attend), the patient and their referring clinician are notified in writing, including the reason for removal and any next steps. Patients are generally advised to contact the relevant HSC Trust within four weeks if they consider the appointment is still required. Reinstatement may be considered where there were exceptional circumstances.

Additional safeguards apply for certain patient groups, including suspected cancer and at-risk patients, where a further appointment is normally offered.

Individual HSC Trusts are responsible for applying these processes in line with regional guidance.