Durkan claims new regional breast cancer system has resulted in growing delays for women in Western Trust
Mark Durkan has claimed lengthening waiting times for red flag breast cancer assessments in the Western Trust are being recorded following the introduction of a new regionalised model in May 2025.
The SDLP MLA health spokesperson claimed that red flag appointments, which previously averaged a two-week wait in the Western Trust, have now stretched ‘to at least nine weeks’.
This, he said, follows the introduction of a new regionalised system on May 8, 2025.
“Patients in the Western Trust area are being badly let down. What was once regarded as a first-class breast service in the West has now been undermined by the Department’s new regional waiting list model. Where the West was best, the waits for this service is worsening by the week.
“Red flag patients should be seen within two weeks. Instead, patients are now waiting nine weeks; with warnings that by the end of September, that delay could stretch to twelve.
"That is totally unacceptable, particularly when every day of waiting can have devastating consequences for those with a cancer diagnosis. I’ve spoken to patients and their families enduring these agonising waits, panicking about possible progression of the disease in the interim,” said the Mr. Durkan.
The Western Trust has consistently posted the best breast cancer waiting times in the North and this continued to be the case according to the most recent statistics for the first quarter of 2025 – January to March – that were published in July.
However, Mr. Durkan claims the introduction of a new regional model by the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has resulted in longer waiting times for patients in the west.
The SDLP MLA recently wrote to the Health Minister about the restructuring ofservices.
Mr. Nesbitt replied: “In response to regional disparities and increasing waiting times for red flag breast cancer services, my department has implemented a regional waiting list for breast cancer assessment.
"This initiative is part of a broader review of Breast Services. This regional approach became operational on May 8, 2025, and aims to ensure patients have access to the earliest available appointment across all Trusts.”
Mr. Nesbitt said the aim of the new system was to improve waiting times across the board.
"This system ensures that all patients referred for breast assessment across the region experience a similar wait.
"Most individuals will still be seen at their nearest hospital, where earlier appointments are available, patients may be offered an appointment at any of the acute hospitals. Following assessment, patients are referred back to their home Trust for treatment if required,” said the Health Minister.
But Mr. Durkan said: “This regionalised system, which became operational on May 8, 2025, was supposed to ensure fairness and equal access across the North.
"Yet it appears to have had the opposite effect in the Western Trust and there is little evidence of genuine regional collaboration to equalise waiting times for other red flag screenings or diagnostic tests.
“The Western Trust had previously raised concerns with the Department about the likely impact of this model. Unfortunately, those concerns weren’t heeded and are now being borne out in reality. Patients and families are paying the price.
“I’ve written to the Health Minister asking him to urgently review this system and take immediate steps to bring waiting times back within target.
"When every second matters and early diagnosis is critical, people deserve timely access to assessment and treatment, not months of distressing delays.”
The ‘Journal’ asked the Western Trust if there had been any slippage in waiting times following the implementation of the new system, however, the health authority said that as it was now a regionally managed service it was a matter for the Department of Health.
Cancer waiting times statistics for April to June 2025 will not be available until late September.
Writing to Mr. Durkan in June of this year, the Health Minister stated: "At this stage it is too soon to obtain data to determine if restructuring is delivering improved outcomes for patients in the Western Health and Social Care Trust. My department will continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of these changes."
Last year the Chief Executive of the Western Trust Neil Guckian told MLAs how the local health authority had managed to achieve the best breast cancer performance in the North despite an 11.4 per cent hike in red flag referrals.
During a briefing of the Stormont Health Committee in November 2024 he also revealed the Western Trust was helping other health authorities reduce wait times.
Mr. Guckian said: "We are accepting patients from elsewhere in Northern Ireland to make sure we minimise the total wait for NI patients. So I would like to pay tribute to my clinical team for that.
“But we also have to look at the context. Red flag referrals for breast cancer have gone up by 11.4 per cent in my Trust. You can't just look at the wait.
"You also have to look at the totality of the demand and if the resources and the actual ability to address that hasn't been tackled well then there will be a slip into the future if that 11 per cent continues.
“Clearly there is only a limited amount of service that you can deliver with a clinical team, without increasing that team.”
The Health Minister acknowledged many patients will feel anxious as they wait longer than they should for assessments.
The DoH said: “The Minister is committed to reducing waiting times across the system and embedding the changes that will lead to better outcomes for all patients.
“In 2024 a regional review was commissioned and in May 2025 breast referrals were centralised to create a fairer system. Patients are now prioritised by clinical need rather than postcode and offered the earliest available appointment across NI’s five breast assessment units. This was absolutely the right thing to do.
“While this reform ensures greater fairness, it does not remove the overall pressure on services.”