Correspondence received from Health Trusts and the Health Minister confirms that women are now waiting between seven and twelve weeks for red flag breast assessments. The delays persist despite the introduction of a Single Regional Waiting List for Breast Assessment, which became operational on 8 May 2025.

Speaking on the issue, Carla Lockhart MP said:

“A red flag referral exists because there is a genuine clinical concern that cancer may be present. For women to be waiting seven, ten or even twelve weeks for assessment is completely unacceptable and deeply distressing.

“I have received written confirmation from Trusts that while the new regional system pools referrals and offers the earliest available appointment anywhere in Northern Ireland, it does not increase overall clinical capacity. In effect, delays have not been resolved. They have simply been regionalised.

“One Trust has confirmed that the current regional waiting time for red flag breast assessments stands at over seven weeks, and women contacting my office are reporting waits of up to twelve weeks. That is a clear failure to meet a 14-day standard that exists because early diagnosis saves lives.

“I fully recognise the immense pressure the Health Minister and our health service are under, including workforce shortages and rising demand. However, these explanations offer little comfort to the young women and young families who have contacted me in absolute fear, waiting week after week for answers that could change their lives.

“The Department of Health has indicated that it plans to rely on the independent sector in the short term to help address these delays. However, women contacting me are telling me they are struggling to access private appointments as well, with some being quoted waits of up to eleven weeks. If the independent sector is already stretched, then this approach risks being little more than a smoke screen rather than a solution. We cannot simply move patients from one waiting list to another and pretend the problem has been fixed. What is needed is real capacity, real staffing and real urgency.”

“Many women have already faced delays simply trying to secure a GP appointment, meaning the delay starts long before they ever reach a breast clinic. By the time they enter the hospital system, they are already behind.

“Regionalisation was meant to address inequalities in access, but without urgent action to increase capacity, it risks becoming a system that makes long waits fairer rather than shorter.”

Carla Lockhart MP added:

“I have requested an urgent meeting with the Health Minister on this issue because this is only the tip of the iceberg. Cancer continues to be a plague on our loved ones and families, and we must do better in 2026.”