Longer waits for urgent breast cancer appointments in Derry ‘devastating’ says McLaughlin
A recent increase in waiting times for red flag breast cancer appointments in the Western Trust has been described as ‘devastating’ for patients in Derry.
Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin raised the matter during a debate on cancer services at Stormont.
"Since regional transformation of the services has taken place, the Western Trust referrals waiting list time has increased quite significantly, which is devastating news for my constituents,” she said.
This was a reference to recent slippage on breast cancer targets following the introduction of a new regional system by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
For years the Western Trust routinely achieved the highest percentage of breast cancer patients starting treatment within 14 days of an urgent referral.
However, waiting times for red flag breast cancer assessments increased significantly after the new regionalised model was introduced in May 2025.
Addressing cancer performance across the North more generally Mrs. McLaughlin said: “We have the lowest one-year survival rates for ovarian and pancreatic cancer anywhere on these islands.
"Those delays mean later diagnosis, more invasive treatment, poor outcomes and, tragically, lives lost that could have been saved. We cannot allow that to continue.”
She called for cross-border cooperation on health to be ratcheted up.
"While we confront the scale of the problem, we must also acknowledge that solutions exist, if we choose to grasp them. Cancer does not recognise borders, and neither should the response,” she said.
The success of the North West Cancer Centre was singled out by the SDLP MLA.
"Each day, people from Derry, Fermanagh and Newry go across the border, into the Republic, for treatment, and they do so because they cannot wait and because cooperation works. We have already seen the success of the North West Cancer Centre. It is truly first in its class.
"It treats patients from Donegal and demonstrates that shared services improve outcomes for everyone. We should be expanding that collaborative model, including through shared diagnostic capacity, cross-border workforce planning and joint investment in specialist services, and we should be fully utilising the EU-UK pathways that still allow structured health cooperation on this island.
"When the nearest radiologist, the fastest diagnostic slot or the most appropriate surgeon is 20 minutes across the border, the question should never be: is this jurisdictionally tidy?” she said.