The Department of Health Has Confirmed Major Progress in
Delivering the Elective Care Framework.
Waiting Lists Are Falling. Capacity Is Increasing. Productivity
Is Improving. Key Framework Targets Have Been Delivered And, in
Several Areas, Exceeded Threefold.
Speaking at the Clinical Leaders Symposium in Stormont, Health
Minister Praised Trusts and Clinical
Leaders for Their Collective Role in Accelerating Reform.
He Said: Collectively All of You Here Have Shown Real Innovation,
Energy and Ambition.”
By Working As One System, We Are Delivering More Care, More
Efficiently and More Consistently for Patients.
The Service Was Asked to Deliver 70,000 Additional Elective
Activities. That Means Thousands More People Seen, Diagnosed and
Treated Sooner. We Haven't Just Met the Target Already. We Have
Delivered Nearly Triple That Number and There Are Two More Months
to Go This Financial Year.
This Has 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.
It Has Been Delivered by Hard Work, Innovation and a Collective
Determination to Do Better for Patients. Together We Will Keep
Increasing Activity, Keep Improving Access and Keep Driving down
Waiting Times.”
Clinical Leaders Discussed Approaches to Improving Theatre
Utilisation, Clinical Validation, Job Planning, Direct Clinical
Care, Incentives, and Patient-initiated Follow-up Pifu).
The Minister Commended Trusts, Clinical Teams and Operational
Managers for Their Contribution to System-wide Improvement in a
Challenging Environment. He Also Recognised the Work of Professor
, Noting His Leadership in
Elective Reform and Clinical Engagement and Pathway
Standardisation.
Professor Has Been Instrumental in
Promoting Alignment Across Trusts and Supporting Clinicians to
Share Learning and Deliver As One Service.”
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.
Our Ambition Is Clear — Equitable, Timely and
Person-centred Access to Elective Care for All,” The
Minister Concluded.
The Progress to Date Shows What Is Possible. We Will Keep
Going.”
Across the Last Year, Significant Gains Have Been Achieved
Including:
- Endoscopy Waits down 63% from the June 2022 Peak (25,064
Patients)
- Notable Procedure Reductions: Colonoscopy 98%, Tonsillectomy
81%, Paediatric Scope 76%
- Named Procedures Backlog down 70% March–december 2025)
- Year+ Inpatient/day Case Waits down 52% to December 2025
(10,335 Patients)
- Year+ Outpatient Waits down 40% March–november 2025)
- Regional Theatre Utilisation up to 86% and Rising Toward the
90% Efficiency Target
Under the Elective Care Framework
The Department 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
