Northern Ireland waiting lists cut as thousands finally get treatment

Hundreds of thousands of extra appointments, scans and operations have been delivered across Northern Ireland’s health service in a major drive to tackle some of the country’s worst waiting lists, with ministers claiming significant progress for patients left waiting years for care.

New year-end figures released by the Department of Health show more than 385,000 additional assessments, diagnostics and treatments were carried out during 2025/26 as part of an intensive elective care programme aimed at reducing severe backlogs and speeding up treatment for time-critical conditions.

The results include dramatic reductions in some of the longest waits across Northern Ireland, with certain procedures for children and adults effectively cleared after targeted intervention funding.

For patients and families across Northern Ireland — many of whom have faced years of pain, delayed diagnoses and uncertainty — the figures represent one of the clearest signs yet that pressure on waiting lists may finally be easing in some key areas.

Major reductions in longest waits

Among the most striking improvements was a 68% reduction in endoscopy waiting lists since their peak in June 2022, leaving almost 27,000 fewer patients waiting for procedures such as colonoscopies and other vital diagnostic examinations.

During the 2025/26 financial year alone, endoscopy waits fell by a further 38%, equivalent to 7,873 patients.

Long waits for MRI scans also reduced by 18.5% during the year, while overall waits for Northern Ireland’s NOUS diagnostic services fell by 14%.

The Department of Health also reported substantial progress in tackling the longest waits for surgery and treatment.

Projected outpatient waits of more than four years reduced by 54%, affecting more than 54,600 patients, while projected waits exceeding four years for inpatient and day-case treatment fell by 67%, benefiting more than 13,400 patients.

Overall inpatient and day-case waiting lists also reduced by 16%, equivalent to 15,550 patients.

Children’s procedures and key operations cleared

A £50 million non-recurrent funding allocation was used to aggressively target long waits for specific procedures, resulting in what the Department described as a 99% reduction in named procedures affecting more than 5,300 patients.

Several waiting lists were effectively eliminated entirely, including:

• Colonoscopy waits — reduced by 100% (645 patients)

• Paediatric squint procedures — reduced by 100% (42 patients)

• PEG tube procedures — reduced by 100% (69 patients)

• Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery — reduced by 100% (1,410 patients)

• Tonsillectomy waits — reduced by 100% (470 patients)

Long waits for primary hip replacement procedures fell by 99%, affecting 428 patients, while primary knee procedure waits also dropped by 99%, helping 971 patients receive treatment more quickly.

The Department noted that one laparoscopic gallbladder patient remains on the waiting list following final validation checks, although the reduction rounds to 100%.

Health Minister says patients waited ‘too long’

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said the figures showed what could be achieved through sustained investment and coordinated action across the health service.

“From the outset, I have been clear that tackling waiting lists requires a sharper focus across our health service,” he said.

“Too many people have waited too long for assessment and treatment, often in pain or with uncertainty about their future.

“These results demonstrate what can be achieved through determined leadership, sustained investment and a collective effort across Health and Social Care.”

Mr Nesbitt said major challenges still remain, with demand for care continuing to rise, but insisted reforms and regional working arrangements were beginning to deliver measurable improvements for patients.

He also thanked healthcare staff working across hospitals, community services and primary care for their role in reducing waits and improving patient outcomes.

Pressure remains despite progress

Despite the improvements, the figures also underline the continuing scale of pressure facing Northern Ireland’s health service.

While some of the longest waits have reduced sharply, tens of thousands of patients remain on waiting lists across outpatient, diagnostic and surgical services.

The Department acknowledged that demand continues to grow, particularly within diagnostic imaging and unscheduled care.

CT scan pressures remain significant, with unscheduled activity increasing by 15% compared to 2023/24, impacting the system’s ability to deliver planned care.

Outpatient “did not attend” rates also remain a challenge, with 7.6% of new outpatient appointments and 8.2% of review appointments missed during 2025/26.

Alongside hospital care, the health service delivered 12,181 interventions through Primary Care Elective Services covering areas including dermatology, musculoskeletal services, gynaecology, vasectomy procedures and minor surgery.

Officials say this helped reduce pressure on hospitals while improving patient access to treatment closer to home.

Regional centres and productivity drive improvements

The Department also highlighted continued efforts to improve efficiency and maximise theatre capacity across Northern Ireland.

Regional theatre utilisation reached 86% during 2025/26, just below the 90% target set by the health service.

Day Procedure Centres in Omagh and Lagan Valley delivered 97% and 88% of commissioned theatre sessions respectively.

Regional endoscopy centres completed 6,034 procedures during the year, bringing the total delivered since October 2022 to almost 20,000 procedures.

Professor Mark Taylor said the figures showed regional cooperation and focused funding were beginning to make a meaningful difference.

“While there is still much work to do, these results show that sustained regional collaboration and focused investment are helping more patients access assessment and treatment sooner,” he said.

Fresh £80 million funding planned

The Executive has now ringfenced a further £80 million to continue reducing the longest and most critical waiting times over the next 12 months.

The Department said details of how the funding will be prioritised are currently being finalised and will be announced in due course.

For many patients still facing lengthy delays, the next phase of funding will be closely watched to see whether the recent improvements can be sustained — and whether Northern Ireland’s health system can finally begin reversing years of record waiting list pressures.