To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department has made any assessment of regional inequalities in access to ovarian cancer diagnostics and treatment.

My Department has not undertaken a specific, standalone assessment of regional inequalities in access to ovarian cancer diagnostics and treatment.

However, access to diagnostic and treatment services is actively and routinely monitored across all Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust areas through a comprehensive range of performance indicators, including cancer waiting times, diagnostic waiting times, and elective care data. This provides a clear and ongoing assessment of variation in access and performance across regions, including within ovarian cancer pathways.

Ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment involve multiple stages, including primary care referral, diagnostic imaging such as ultrasound and CT, laboratory testing, and specialist gynaecology oncology care. My Department recognises that variation in any part of this pathway, including waiting times for diagnostics or outpatient appointments, can impact timeliness of care across Trust areas.

System-wide pressures, including workforce challenges and growing demand for diagnostics, are also recognised as key factors that may affect delivery across regions. These are being actively addressed through service planning and performance management.

A number of measures are being progressed to reduce variation and strengthen equity of access. This includes the development of regional elective care approaches, including:

centres of excellence and regional diagnostic services;

the implementation of clinically prioritised waiting lists to ensure patients are treated based on clinical need rather than location;

targeted investment in diagnostic capacity and workforce; and,

regional cancer service planning, including the delivery of specialist gynaecological oncology services on a regional basis.

My Department will continue to use available data to identify and address unwarranted variation and remains fully committed to improving equity, timeliness, and outcomes for all patients across Northern Ireland, including those with ovarian cancer.