To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on any work underway to reduce gynaecology waiting times, particularly colposcopies referrals; (ii) to detail any support that is available to patients awaiting these procedures.

There is significant work underway across the health and care system to reduce waiting times and develop pathways for gynaecology-specific conditions within each Trust across Northern Ireland.

Primary and Secondary Care teams are working collaboratively to ensure patients are seen in the right place, at the right time, by the right professional. In addition to accepting referrals from primary care, a pilot initiative is underway to identify patients on secondary care waiting lists who could be managed within the Enhanced Primary Care Service. Eligible patients will be assessed and treated by one of the 16 specialist GPs with enhanced skills in gynaecology. This service currently manages referrals for pessary fitting, HRT management, initial assessment and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding, and contraceptive management including coil fitting.

Secondary Care services are also developing action plans to address waiting times and implement relevant GIRFT recommendations within each Trust. Between April and December 2025, additional non-recurrent funding has been approved of £3.9m to provide waiting list initiatives—both in-house and via the independent sector to address red flag or other time-critical assessments and treatments. As well as Trusts carrying out administrative validation exercises, to review and cleanse current outpatient waiting lists, clinicians are also carrying out enhanced clinical validation of outpatient lists. Additional outpatients are also in place to provide one stop clinics for colposcopy, hysteroscopy, smears and pessaries that cannot be provided in primary care.

Working through the Provider Collaborative my Department is seeking to build stakeholder confidence and momentum in the short term by maximising capacity and tackling the longest gynaecology waiters, while in parallel developing a sustainable, evidence-based, gynaecology service model at Trust-level and regionally.

The Elective Care Framework has provided additional recurrent funding to address service gaps in gynaecology. My officials and Trusts are continuing to explore options to strengthen pathways and improve care for women with gynaecological conditions. Some recommendations will require investment, while others can be achieved through modernisation and reform.

With regards to Colposcopy Services, my Department has been working with Trusts to develop business cases to provide two Colposcopy and Hysteroscopy Specialist Nurses in each Trust across Northern Ireland. Once trained, these specialist nurses with be able to assess, diagnosis and treat women with several gynaecology conditions and address the waiting time for patients waiting on colposcopies. When trained, it is anticipated that these nurses will provide a minimum of 2 new patient colposcopy clinics per week, seeing 8 new outpatients per clinic. This will support the current clinical capacity in Trusts.