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Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has praised the work being done at Daisy Hill Hospital to help tackle Northern Ireland's waiting lists, highlighting the hospital's important role in the wider transformation of elective care across the region.
The Minister visited Daisy Hill Hospital on Wednesday 10 December where he toured the main theatre complex, the Elective Overnight Stay Centre and the state-of-the-art dedicated paediatric theatre. During his visit, he met 11-year-old Rory Boyle from Middletown who was recovering from a tonsillectomy on the recovery ward on the sixth floor.
Since April 2023, almost 11,000 elective surgical procedures have been completed at the Daisy Hill Elective Overnight Stay Centre across a wide range of specialties, including breast, urology, gynaecology, dermatology, ENT, general surgery, paediatric surgery, dental, oral surgery and endoscopy. A dedicated paediatric theatre and recovery ward are also supporting regional efforts to reduce long waits for children.
The Minister acknowledged the ongoing work to increase planned surgical capacity and improve outcomes for patients. He said: "Reducing waiting lists is one of my central priorities as Health Minister. But this is not just about speed, it is about transforming how we deliver care, ensuring patients receive the right treatment in the right place, with better outcomes and a more consistent experience."
He added: "The Elective Care Framework sets out this vision for reform, and Daisy Hill is showing how dedicated elective capacity can support that transformation in practice. Elective Overnight Stay Centres like this one help provide reliable space for planned procedures, improving productivity and giving renewed hope to patients who have been waiting too long."
The latest waiting list figures show that around 164,000 red flag and time-critical patients have been seen, diagnosed or treated. Waits over four years in named procedures are down 62 per cent, including procedures like colonoscopies, tonsillectomies and hip operations. Over-four-year outpatient waits are down 35 per cent, affecting 35,319 patients, whilst over-four-year treatment waits are down 47 per cent, affecting 9,411 patients.
Dr Raymond McKee, Southern Trust Divisional Medical Director of Anaesthetics, Theatres and Intensive Care, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Minister to Daisy Hill to show him our excellent theatre facilities and show him how colleagues, right across the hospital have been working together to increase elective capacity and ensure that as many people as possible can have their surgeries.”
Mr McKee spoke of the frustration of patients having to wait much longer than necessary for their procedures.
He added: "We have a really enthusiastic and committed surgical team at Daisy Hill Hospital and right across the Southern Trust, continually striving to innovate, improve and develop services and keen to work with colleagues regionally, to tackle unacceptable waiting lists across Northern Ireland."
During his visit Minister Nesbitt paid tribute to busy hospital staff and heard first-hand how they are working hard to improve services and outcomes for their patients. He said: "Daisy Hill is making steady progress in supporting regional elective recovery. This work reflects the commitment and professionalism of staff across the hospital, and I want to acknowledge their efforts as part of the wider transformation taking place across our health service."
The Health Minister concluded by saying there is still a significant amount of work to do, but the progress being made at Daisy Hill and across the region shows that improvement is possible. He said the focus remains on delivering faster, safer and more sustainable care for patients through sustained investment, collaboration and reform across the whole system.
Newry and Armagh MP Dáire Hughes welcomed thew Health Ministers visit. Mr Hughes said: “I welcome Minister Nesbitt’s visit to Daisy Hill Hospital and his recognition of the exceptional work being carried out by its dedicated and highly skilled staff. Having recently visited Daisy Hill and seen the Elective Overnight Stay Centre, theatres and paediatric elective services, I have witnessed first-hand the commitment, innovation and care that is improving patient outcomes and strengthening elective services regionally
“The reduction in waiting lists and increased elective activity are a tribute to the staff who continue to deliver for patients despite the immense pressures our health system continues to face.
“While the trajectory is positive, Daisy Hill needs enhanced supports, long-term funding and sustained resourcing to continue improving outcomes and reducing waiting lists. The potential of Daisy Hill is clear, but it cannot be achieved without firm commitments to expand and enhance its services.
Mr Hughes also welcomed the Minister’s openness to strengthening North–South cooperation. “Enhanced cross-border collaboration and an all-island healthcare strategy would help deliver better outcomes for patients right across the island. I welcome Minister Nesbitt’s willingness to explore this further, which he reiterated during this week’s Oireachtas Good Friday Agreement committee meeting."
