To ask the Minister of Health (i) for a timeline for the full implementation of single regional waiting lists across all specialities; and (iI) whether interim performance targets are in place during the roll-out.

The implementation of single regional waiting lists is a key component of our strategy to streamline patient care and reduce waiting times across Northern Ireland. The implementation of the Encompass programme has provided the opportunity to develop single, regional waiting lists which will ensure patients are assessed in chronological order on a regional basis, rather than within their local Trust area. This will allow patients to be assessed in the next available clinic slot, which may be in any Trust, mitigating Trust specific service pressures that can impact waiting times.

The specific timeline for the full implementation of these single, regional waiting lists will be dependent on the rollout and embedding of Encompass across all Trusts. The concept of a single regional waiting list is a part of broader initiatives to improve the efficiency of our health service delivery.

There are examples of regional waiting lists already in place. For example, on 8 May 2025, a new single regional waiting list for breast assessment launched. This initiative aims to allow patients across Northern Ireland to access the earliest available appointment, regardless of their Trust area. The new regional booking system equalises waiting times across the region. Lessons learned from introducing the regional breast single waiting list will help inform the planning of any future initiatives.

Further, there are single waiting lists for specialist services including spinal surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery and paediatrics. Work has also progressed to establish single waiting lists in subspecialty areas including bladder outflow procedures, complex stone surgery and penile cancer in the urology specialty.