Surgeons urge political cooperation to sustain progress on Northern Ireland waiting lists

Surgeons have urged Northern Ireland’s political leaders to work together to sustain progress on hospital waiting lists, saying patients and healthcare staff need certainty over funding and the future direction of services. 

The call comes as the latest waiting time data for Northern Ireland show modest progress in reducing the number of patients waiting for inpatient and day-case treatment, although long waits remain widespread.  

On 30 June 2026, 81,223 patients were waiting for inpatient or day-case admission, compared with 82,568 on 31 March 2026. This represents a slight decrease of 1.6%, amounting to 1,345 fewer patients. 

Of those waiting for treatment, 63.8% had waited longer than 13 weeks and 34.1% longer than 52 weeks. The targets that 55% of patients should be treated within 13 weeks and that no patient should wait longer than 52 weeks were not met. 

Commenting on the figures, Mr Niall McGonigle, Northern Ireland Director of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), said:  

“These figures suggest that the hard work of health service staff and recent investment are beginning to make a difference. Any reduction in waiting times is welcome, but too many patients are still waiting months or even years for treatment, often while living with pain, declining health, and uncertainty about when they will receive care. 

“The ring-fenced investment announced by the Department of Health in July is a positive step. It creates an opportunity to increase surgical capacity, make better use of technology, including robotics, and enable more patients to get the treatment they need. 

“But sustained improvement will require more than short-term investment. Healthcare staff remain under significant pressure, and services need certainty about funding, sufficient capacity and a clear view of how they will develop in the years ahead. 

“Everyone has a shared interest in building a health service that can meet patients’ needs. We urge political leaders to work together to provide the stability needed to build on progress, modernise services and bring down waiting times to ensure patients receive timely, high-quality care.” 

ENDS

Notes to editors:  

1. Today’s data reflects activity across inpatient & day case, outpatient and diagnostics from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2026. See details here: Hospital waiting times statistics | Department of Health 

2. The draft waiting times target states that 55% of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks for inpatient/day case treatment; with no patient waiting longer than 52 weeks. The target is included here: Northern Ireland Inpatient and Day Case Waiting Time Statistics 

3. Encompass, the new electronic patient record system, has been rolling out across Health and Social Care Trusts since November 2023. The DoH advises that figures sourced from encompass are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’, and caution must be exercised when using these figures. They are not directly comparable with legacy (pre-encompass) data but are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use. 

4. This data release includes a small number of outpatient Ophthalmology waits mistakenly captured due to system issues.  

5. In July 2026, the Department of Health announced an additional £80m of ringfenced Programme for Government spending for 2026/27 for improving elective care and reducing waiting lists: Minister sets out £80million plan to boost elective care | Department of Health 

6. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research, and championing the best outcomes for patients. 

7. A Professional Board of over 20 surgeons represents RCS England in Northern Ireland. They reflect the specialty areas of neurosurgery, ENT, paediatrics, general surgery, trauma and orthopaedics, plastics, urology, vascular, cardiothoracic and OMFS. The Board also includes the Association of Surgeons in Training (ASiT), QUB & UU Medical School Surgical Society, NIMDTA Head of the School of Surgery, SAS doctors and an RCS England Council member. 

8. For more information, please contact the RCS England press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk. For out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.