Health Minister visited Northern Ireland's new
regional breast assessment booking centre just weeks after
launching the major reform initiative.
The Minister's visit highlights his ongoing commitment to
tackling long standing inequalities in breast cancer care and the
unacceptable variations in waiting times that had existed between
different Health and Social Care Trusts across the
province.
Launched in early May 2025, the new centralised regional
assessment booking service provided by South Eastern Health and
Social Care Trust (SEHSCT) is supported with assessment clinics
located in each of the five Trusts, ensuring that all patients
referred with suspected breast cancer are seen at the earliest
opportunity based on clinical need, rather than their postcode.
This initiative is part of the Minister's wider efforts to
improve patient outcomes and increase public confidence in
diagnostic services.
During the visit to the Ulster Hospital site, the Health Minister
met with the centralised administration team alongside the
clinicians and staff responsible for the delivery of one of the
five regional clinics.
Minister Nesbitt praised the collaborative effort behind the
reform: "This is a change built on partnership. It has
been achieved through genuine co-production between clinicians,
Trusts, administration teams and, most importantly, the patients
we serve. I want to thank everyone involved in making this major
reform possible.
“I launched this service to ensure that all women across
Northern Ireland have fair and timely access to potentially
life-saving assessments. It's heartening to now meet the
administration team, clinicians, nurses and patients who
are seeing the benefits of this reform. This is a powerful
example of how regional working can lead to better, more
equitable care.
“The rollout has been supported by the implementation of
the encompass electronic patient record system, now live across
all Health and Social Care Trusts. This digital infrastructure
enables coordinated appointment booking across the region and
improves the use of available capacity.
“The regional waiting list will not fix all the issues
impacting breast services in Northern Ireland, however it is an
important first step. To support wider reform of services, an
additional £5m has also been secured to increase core capacity
for assessment and surgery across the region.”
The South Eastern Trust is managing the regional waiting list
through a centralised administrative team. While most patients
will continue to attend their local hospital, they may be offered
an earlier appointment at one of five acute hospital sites:
Altnagelvin Area Hospital (Western Trust), Antrim Area Hospital
(Northern Trust), Belfast City Hospital (Belfast Trust),
Craigavon Area Hospital (Southern Trust), or Ulster Hospital
Dundonald (South Eastern Trust).
Currently, the regional system applies only to red flag breast
cancer referrals. Patients with other breast-related symptoms
will continue to be seen through local pathways. However, the
wider review of breast services will set standards and make
recommendations for the delivery of all symptomatic breast
services.
The Minister's visit also aligns with broader efforts to reform
health services in Northern Ireland and the importance of
consolidating assessment and surgical services while ensuring
that aftercare and chemotherapy are provided as close to
patients' homes as possible. This approach reflects a
patient-centred model of care, recognising the need for both
specialised treatment and accessible follow up services.
In addition to the regional assessment clinic, Minister Nesbitt
has been involved in other initiatives aimed at enhancing cancer
care. The Minister recently attended the launch of a landmark
study on metastatic breast cancer at Stormont which provided the
first estimates of people living with this condition in Northern
Ireland. The study highlighted the need for improved data
collection and the development of dedicated care pathways for
metastatic breast cancer patients.
Furthermore, Minister Nesbitt officially opened Cancer Focus NI's
new Regional Therapeutic Cancer Support Centre in Enniskillen.
This centre, to which the Department of Health has contributed
funding of £418,624, is part of a broader strategy to provide
specialist services closer to home, offering practical,
emotional, and social support for people with cancer and their
families.
These initiatives collectively represent a significant step
forward in the transformation of cancer services in Northern
Ireland, aiming to provide timely, equitable, and
patient-centered care for all individuals affected by cancer.
