To ask the Minister of Health to detail any additional capacity for gynaecology assessment and treatment that has been commissioned in the last 12 months, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.

Within the last 12 months, each of the Trusts have accessed non-recurrent funding to reduce the >3-year outpatient backlog. This has been achieved with additional capacity being made available via Waiting List Reduction (WLR) funding to send patients to the Independent Sector (IS), as detailed below.

To support earlier validation and prioritisation of patients on the waiting list, some Trusts commissioned additional administrative sessions dedicated to telephone validation. This enabled administrative teams to work through substantial numbers of cases, ensuring that patient information, clinical need, and waiting list status were reviewed efficiently and accurately.

These initiatives have collectively enhanced service capacity and contributed to targeted reductions in gynaecology waiting lists. This has been progressed as part of the regionally coordinated Gynae Collaborative with funding support from my Department.

Nurse Led colposcopy/ hysteroscopy services have been extended by recurrent funding being made available for a model of two Lead Nurses for colposcopy and hysteroscopy in each Trust.

Further investment is currently being planned for Clinical E-Triage, additional sonography and Advanced Nurse Practitioners in each Trust.