‘Catastrophic failure’: Allister condemns almost nine-year urgent dermatology wait for patients of Northern Trust

Saturday 07 November 2026

Urgent dermatology waiting times of almost nine years in the Northern Trust amount to a “catastrophic failure”, North Antrim MP Jim Allister has said after a constituent’s case exposed the scale of delays facing patients.

The Trust confirmed in a letter dated 3 November that urgent waiting times were approximately eight years and nine months — and increasing because of ongoing capacity problems.

Its response concerned a woman first referred for specialist assessment in September 2019. Her case was upgraded to urgent in April this year, but after approximately seven years she still has no appointment date.

The Trust apologised and said it was prioritising patients according to risk, focusing almost exclusively on suspected cancer referrals because demand was outstripping its capacity.

An urgent referral and a wait approaching a decade

North Antrim MP Jim Allister

Mr Allister said he recognised that suspected cancer cases should take priority, but challenged the length of time other patients classed as urgent were being left waiting.

“Of course, I expect cases where cancer is suspected to be the top priority, but to classify a referral as “urgent” and then decree a wait time of almost a decade amounts to catastrophic failure.”

He said:

“My constituents are being utterly failed by the Northern Trust.”

Mr Allister plans to raise the situation directly with the Trust’s chief executive next week.

Mother unable to afford private treatment

Behind the correspondence is a woman whose skin condition, according to Mr Allister’s letter of 25 September, had not resolved despite treatment prescribed by her GP over several years.

She was originally referred for a routine dermatology appointment in September 2019. Mr Allister said she had reportedly been advised to consider private treatment, but as a single mother of three she could not afford a consultation and any subsequent care.

The Trust confirmed that her referral remained active and that a further GP referral received in April 2026 had been reviewed, leading to her case being upgraded to urgent.

That change has brought no certainty about when she will be seen. The Trust quoted its current urgent waiting time without explaining how much longer she personally would have to wait or how her years already spent on the routine list would be taken into account.

Trust says delay is caused by insufficient capacity

Audrey Harris, Director Medicine & Emergency Medicine, Northern Trust

In its reply, signed by Audrey Harris, Director Medicine & Emergency Medicine, the Trust acknowledged the distress and concern caused by the woman’s lengthy wait.

It stated:

“There has not been any administrative or clerical error which has led to this delay, it relates purely to service capacity.”

The Trust said demand for dermatology services was significant compared with its available capacity. Its concentration on suspected cancer referrals had led to substantial delays for both urgent and routine patients.

“At present urgent waiting times are approximately eight years and nine months, but these wait times have been increasing due to ongoing capacity issues.”

No guarantee of an earlier appointment elsewhere

The Trust said it had requested that the woman be considered for an appointment at any location within the Northern Trust when one became available.

She could also ask her GP to refer her to another Trust’s dermatology department. However, the Northern Trust said it could not arrange that itself or guarantee that another Trust would accept the referral or see her sooner.

While the Trust said it was working to address capacity and growing demand, its response provided no timetable for reducing the waits.

Chief executive to face challenge over delays

Mr Allister said:

“When I meet the CEO of the Northern Trust next week I will be drilling into this woeful situation.”

The Trust’s explanation sets out why patients are waiting and why suspected cancer cases take precedence.

For the woman first referred in 2019, however, the position remains unresolved: her case is now urgent, the delay is attributed to insufficient capacity, and there is still no date for the specialist assessment she has spent seven years waiting to receive.