Minister sets out £80million plan to boost elective care in Northern Ireland

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed how £80million will be invested to reduce waiting times and improve elective care across Northern Ireland.

The ringfenced Programme for Government (PfG) funding will support more patients accessing assessment, diagnostic tests and treatment sooner. It will increase elective capacity, across Health and Social Care and support continued progress in reducing the longest waits. Running alongside this investment will be continued reform to improve productivity, modernise services and make the best use of existing facilities and technology across the Health and Social Care system. Together, investment and reform will support better access to care, improved impact for patients and a more sustainable elective care service for the future.  

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: Patients have waited long enough to see real change. Reducing waiting times remains one of my sharpest priorities as Health Minister because I know the impact long waits have on patients, families and communities across Northern Ireland.

While there is no quick fix, we are making real progress. We have reduced some of the longest waits, increased elective activity and demonstrated what can be achieved when investment, reform and the commitment of our Health and Social Care workforce come together.

Our challenge now is to turn that progress into sustainable improvement. My priority is to ensure every pound of this investment delivers tangible benefits for patients. That means making better use of clinics, diagnostics and elective care facilities; supporting staff to work in innovative and flexible ways; expanding regional approaches where they improve outcomes and efficiency; and directing investment where it can make the greatest difference.

Targeted £80million investment during 2026/27 will focus on:

• Expanding regional stroke thrombectomy services.
• Expanding Dental Foundation Training.
• Increasing general surgery capacity at Causeway Hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital and South West Acute Hospital.
• Continuing investment in women's health and gynaecology services.
• Increasing recurrent capacity across diagnostic imaging, cancer services, robotic surgery and ophthalmology.
• Strengthening vulnerable regional paediatric specialties.
• Targeted reduction of waiting lists for high-volume adult elective procedures.
• Focused action to reduce ENT outpatient waiting lists and paediatric treatment backlogs.
• Provision to enable backlog activity for those on Adult Mental Health (AMH) and Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) waiting lists.   

The Health Minister added: One of the strengths of the Elective Care Framework has been the way it has brought the system together. These priorities have been shaped by those delivering care every day. By working alongside Health and Social Care Trusts, clinicians, Royal Colleges and regional service leaders, we are investing in interventions that are evidence-based, deliverable and capable of making a real difference for patients.

People rightly judge our health service by whether they can access the care they need when they need it. That is the standard I expect, and these priorities are focused on helping us get there.

This investment is not an end in itself. It is another important step in improving access to care, supporting our workforce and delivering a more resilient, more productive and more sustainable Health and Social Care system for the people of Northern Ireland.

Further details of individual allocations and implementation arrangements will be published in due course.

Notes to editors:

1. Investment will continue to support initiatives already delivering improvements across the elective care pathway, including:

• GP Federations, providing more assessment and treatment closer to home while supporting the neighbourhood model of care and improving patient flow across the wider Health and Social Care system.
• Pre-Operative Assessment services to improve patient optimisation before surgery, reduce cancellations and maximise theatre utilisation.
• Expansion of training places and continued support for trainees entering vulnerable specialties, strengthening the Health and Social Care workforce.
• Community phlebotomy hubs to improve access to diagnostics and support elective and cancer pathways.
• Third sector organisations providing practical and emotional support for patients while they wait for treatment.
• Investment priorities have been developed in partnership with Health and Social Care Trusts, clinicians, Royal Colleges, regional clinical networks and elective care programme leads.
• Final allocations have been informed by clinical priority, deliverability, workforce availability and service need, ensuring investment is targeted where it can achieve the greatest benefit for patients.