Extra 200,000 patients seen in bid to tackle waiting lists

About 200,000 extra people have been seen, diagnosed or treated by the health service since April in a bid to tackle waiting lists in Northern Ireland.

The figure was not broken down in detail, but in December 2025, figures showed that more than half a million people were waiting to see a hospital consultant for the first time, with some waiting almost six years.

Now, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has told clinical leaders of Northern Ireland's five health trusts the target of 70,000 extra patients, set by the executive in the Programme for Government to tackle the lists, had been exceeded threefold.

Nesbitt hailed the number of patients seen as a phenomenal achievement.

"We will be well over 200,000 by the time we get to the end of the financial year," he said.

The Department of Health said across the past year, "significant gains have been achieved".

The Health Department said the number of people waiting for procedures including endoscopies and colonoscopies came down, as well as the number of people waiting for outpatient appointments.

These gains have been driven by "new ways of working, better use of data, modern scheduling and digital platforms that help us plan and deliver care more efficiently".

Nesbitt said he had put a focus on waiting lists since he took up his post as health minister in May 2024, but said he was also conscious it was not a permanent solution if money was spent on waiting lists without reform.

"In parallel with addressing waiting lists we are going to move in the next financial year, from the 1 April, to this neighbourhood model which is putting a lot more emphasis on prevention and early intervention to take some of the pressure of the acute hospitals where all the expensive stuff happens," he said.

The next phase of the Elective Care Framework will continue to embed standardisation, expand elective capacity, use digital platforms to support validation and scheduling, and strengthen the system's long-term sustainability.

Under the Elective Care Framework, the department said it was committed to:

• Carrying out more treatments and procedures
• Reducing long waits for appointments and operations
• Using theatres and facilities more efficiently
• Making care more consistent no matter where patients live
• Expanding alternative models and giving patients more choice

Prof Mark Taylor, the regional clinical director for elective care, said there had been a "concentrated effort" to get those people waiting four years and more off the waiting list and "sizeable progress" was being made.

He said while money is important, it is not all about money, it is about a change of practice - a different way of doing things.

"It's about refreshing everything, particularly because of the budgetary restraints," he said.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson Philip McGuigan said he welcomed the news of waiting lists being tackled.

"Despite this, much more work remains, as waiting lists are still far too long, with thousands of people left waiting for surgeries, consultations and other essential medical procedures," he said.