Accredited Official Statistics

All data contained within this publication are Accredited Official Statistics, with the exception of Breast Cancer Referrals data.

Published by: Information & Analysis Directorate, Department of Health
Statisticians: Brian Reilly, Emma Herd, Thomas Cash & Heidi Rodgers
Contact:

Reporting Period: 1 January 2026 - 31 March 2026
Publication Date: 2 July 2026
The next quarterly publication is scheduled for 1 October 2026. Latest updates to all DoH statistical releases can be found here Statistical releases calendar | Department of Health

Coverage: Northern Ireland
Frequency: Quarterly

On 9 November 2023 the South Eastern Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust launched ‘encompass’ - a new electronic patient record system. The system also went live in Belfast Trust on 6 June 2024, in Northern Trust on 7 November 2024, and in Southern and Western Trusts on 8 May 2025.

Figures sourced from encompass are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’, which are a subset of Official Statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. While caution must be exercised when using these figures and they are not directly comparable with legacy (pre-encompass) data, they are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use.

Please note that data relating to patients commencing treatment following an urgent GP referral (the 62-day cancer waiting time target) are currently undergoing further validation. Corrected and fully validated data will be published separately as Accredited Official Statistics in due course.


This statistical release presents information on waiting times for cancer services at hospitals in Northern Ireland and reports on the performance of the five Health and Social Care Trusts against the draft waiting time targets which state that:

  • At least 98% of patients diagnosed with cancer should receive their first definitive treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat.
  • At least 95% of patients urgently referred by a GP with a suspected cancer should begin their first definitive treatment within 62 days.
  • All urgent breast cancer referrals should be seen within 14 days.

Information is detailed on the number of patients who began treatment by HSC Trust for all targets and by tumour site for the 31 and 62 day targets. All of the data contained in this release are published in Excel file format to facilitate secondary analysis. This file is available at the following link:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-waiting-time-statistics-cancer-waiting-times-january-march-2026.

Key Facts

Patients Starting Treatment Following a Decision to Treat (31 Day Target)

• In the quarter ending March 2026, 2,954 patients started their first definitive treatment, 0.4% (11) fewer than in the previous quarter (2,965).

• 87.3% (2,580) of those patients started treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat, compared with 90.1% (2,672) in the previous quarter.

Patients Starting Treatment Following an Urgent GP Referral (62 Day Target)

• Please note that data relating to patients commencing treatment following an urgent GP referral (the 62-day cancer waiting time target) are currently undergoing further validation. Corrected and fully validated data will be published separately as Accredited Official Statistics in due course.

Patients Seen by a Breast Cancer Specialist Following an Urgent Referral (14 Day Target)

• In the quarter ending March 2026, 3,890 patients were seen by a breast cancer specialist following an urgent referral for suspect breast cancer in Northern Ireland HSC Trusts, 0.3% (12) less than in the previous quarter (3,902).

• 7.9% (306) of those patients were seen within 14 days of their urgent referral for breast cancer, compared with 5.5% (213) in the previous quarter.

Patients starting treatment following a decision to treat

Target: At least 98% of patients urgently referred with a suspected cancer should begin their first definitive treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat.


In the quarter ending March 2026, 2,954 patients started treatment following a decision to treat, of which 87.3% (2,580) started treatment within 31 days. The target was not achieved at a regional level.

The number of patients starting treatment decreased by 0.4% (11) since last quarter.

The percentage of patients starting treatment within 31 days decreased from 90.1% in the previous quarter.

Overall, during the quarter ending March 2026, the median wait for patients starting treatment following a decision to treat was 6 days. The median waiting time is the middle value when all patients are ordered by length of time waiting. This is preferred over the mean as an average of waiting times because waiting times tend to be skewed by longer waits and, therefore, most patients wait for less time than the mean.

Of the patients who started treatment, the 95th percentile waiting time was 48 days. The 95th percentile waiting time is the waiting time that 95% of patient waiting times are less than. One in twenty patients i.e. 5%, wait longer than this time. The 95th percentile is used as an indication of the range of current waiting times without being distorted by extreme values or the prioritisation of urgent waits.

Monthly median and 95th percentile waits broken down by HSC Trust and tumour site are included in the Excel file accompanying this publication which may be found here.

By HSC Trust

The Western HSC Trust had the highest percentage of patients starting treatment within 31 days (96.7%, 380 of 393 patients), while the Belfast HSC Trust had the lowest (81.6%, 1,031 of 1,264 patients).

No Trust met the target of 98% of patients starting treatment within 31 days.


Figure 1: Patients starting treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat

Quarter Ending June 2008 to Quarter Ending March 2026

The first tab below shows the performance against the target as percentage and in numbers. You can select HSC Trusts from the menu to the right. The second tab presents the figures in table format that can be downloaded. Please note that as validated data for Belfast HSC Trust for Quarter Ending June 2024 were not available at the time of publication, the time series for Belfast and Northern Ireland are currently incomplete.

Time Series

Table

By Tumour Site

Of tumour sites with more than 50 patients starting treatment during the quarter ending March 2026, Haematological Cancers had the highest percentage treated within 31 days (99.2%) while Gynaecological Cancers had the lowest (78.4%).


Table 2: Total patients treated and patients treated within 31 days, for tumour sites with at least twenty patients

01 January 2026 to 31 March 2026

Tumour Site Total Treated Change Since Last Quarter % Within 31 Days % Within 31 Days Change Since Last Quarter
Urological Cancer 608 63 85.9% 0.4
Skin Cancers 446 -39 89.5% 0.4
Breast Cancer 445 12 80.4% -12.2
Lung Cancer 346 -31 90.5% 0
Lower Gastrointestinal Cancer 322 -21 90.1% -2.4
Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer 234 -23 86.8% 0.8
Gynaecological Cancers 148 -2 78.4% -9.6
Haematological Cancers 119 -10 99.2% -0.1
Head/Neck Cancer 95 -4 90.5% -2.4
Leukaemia 66 7 97.0% -1.3
Brain/Central Nervous System 43 10 97.7% -2.3
Thyroid 37 19 78.4% -10.5
Other 22 3 90.9% -3.8

Patients starting treatment following an urgent GP referral

Data relating to patients commencing treatment following an urgent GP referral (the 62-day cancer waiting time target) are currently under review following the identification of an encompass reporting issue that may have affected waiting time calculations for a subset of patients. Work is progressing at pace with encompass and HSC Trusts to resolve the issue and validate the revised data. Once this process has been completed, the 62-day waiting times figures will be published separately as Accredited Official Statistics.

Patients seen following an urgent breast cancer referral

Data users should note that breast cancer referrals statistics are not designated as Accredited Official Statistics.

Target: All urgent breast cancer referrals should be seen within 14 days.


On 8 May 2025, a new regional breast cancer service was launched. This service manages appointments across five hospital sites and is designed to equalise waiting times by offering patients earlier appointments outside their local Trust area. This initiative enables patients to access the earliest available appointment across Northern Ireland, irrespective of their geographical location.

As the new breast cancer service is a regional service, breakdowns by Trust are no longer applicable and will not be provided. The numbers of referrals at each Trust are, however, set out in the ‘Breast Cancer Referrals Received’ section, which follows.

During the quarter ending March 2026, 3,890 patients were seen by a breast cancer specialist following an urgent referral across the five Northern Ireland HSC Trusts, which has decreased by 0.3% (12 patients) since last quarter. Some 7.9% of patients i.e. 306, were seen within 14 days, which has increased by 93 patients since last quarter. During the quarter ending March 2026, the median wait time was 47 days (6 weeks and 5 days) and 95% of patients were seen within 57 days (8 weeks and 1 day).


Table 5: Breast Cancer Patients seen within 14 days following an Urgent Referral

Northern Ireland Quarter Ending September 2025 Quarter Ending December 2025 Quarter Ending March 2026
Total number of patients seen 2699 3902 3890
Number seen within 14 days 183 213 306
Percentage seen within 14 days 6.8 5.5 7.9
Median wait time (Days) 56 53 47
95th percentile wait time (Days) 69 72 57

Note: A time series showing the percentage of breast cancer patients seen within 14 days following an urgent referral, from quarter ending June 2008 to quarter ending March 2025, is included as Figure 3 in previous statistical bulletins: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/cancer-waiting-times

Breast Cancer Referrals Received

Data users should note that breast cancer referrals statistics are not designated as Accredited Official Statistics.

Adding the number of referrals for suspect breast cancer at each HSC Trust to make a Northern Ireland total may inflate the ‘true demand’ on the service regionally as any referrals transferred from one Trust to another will create a duplicate referral.


During the quarter ending March 2026, 6,665 referrals were received by HSC Trusts for suspect breast cancer, of which 86.2% (5,745) were classified as urgent.

During the quarter ending March 2026, the highest number of referrals (1,642) were received by the Northern HSC Trust for suspect breast cancer, of which 87.4% (1,435) were classified as urgent. The Western HSC Trust received the lowest number of breast cancer referrals (1,203), however 87.2% (1,049) of these were urgent referrals.

A patient may be referred more than once if they are transferred to another consultant or a different Trust, or if they did not attend first treatment appointment and have been referred again.

Across each HSC Trust the numbers of patients referred, and the percentages categorised as urgent, remained broadly steady since June 2016, with the exception of a reduction in the number of routine referrals during quarter ending June 2020. While the numbers of referrals have remained relatively steady since 2021, the numbers classified as urgent have, however, increased since 2024.


Figure 3: New referrals received for suspect breast cancer, by HSC Trust

Quarter Ending June 2016 to Quarter Ending March 2026

The first tab below shows referrals and urgent referrals in numbers and as percentages. You can select HSC Trusts from the menu to the right. The second tab presents the figures in table format that can be downloaded. Please note that as validated data for Belfast HSC Trust for quarter ending June and September 2024, and for Southern and Western HSC Trusts for quarter ending June 2025, are not available, the Trust and Northern Ireland time series are, therefore, incomplete.

Time Series

Table

Data Sources, Quality and Guidance


Data sources and quality

All data presented in this publication have been validated and quality assured by Hospital Waits Information Branch in conjunction with HSC Trusts.

Data for the South Eastern HSC Trust from 9 November 2023 onwards are sourced from ‘encompass’, which is a new electronic patient record system. The system also went live in Belfast HSC Trust on 6 June 2024, in Northern HSC Trust on 7 November 2024, and in Southern and Western HSC Trusts on 8 May 2025. Figures sourced from encompass are considered to be ‘official statistics in development’, which are a subset of Official Statistics in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. While caution must be exercised when using these figures, they are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use.

Due to the rollout of encompass, validated data for Belfast Trust for quarter ending June 2024, and breast cancer referrals data for this Trust for quarter ending September 2024, are not available. Validated breast cancer referrals data for Southern and Western Trusts for quarter ending June 2025 are also not available.

Data used to report on the 31 and 62 day targets were formerly sourced from the Cancer Patient Pathway System (CaPPS), the data system used to administer cancer treatment services within HSC Trusts in Northern Ireland. Data used to report on the breast cancer activity and referrals were formerly sourced from the Patient Administration System (PAS), an administrative system used to manage, record, and monitor hospital waiting lists. Hospital Waits Information Branch introduced this methodology for the collection of breast cancer waiting time information in April 2017. Information was originally sourced from the Departmental SDR2 Return in aggregate format. Regionally consistent data collection for cancer waiting times has been in place since April 2008. Cancer referrals data have been collected since April 2016.

On 8 May 2025, a new regional breast cancer service was launched in Northern Ireland. This service manages appointments across five hospital sites. As the new breast cancer service is a regional service, breakdowns by Trust are no longer applicable and will not be provided. The transition to a regional service took place during a reporting quarter (quarter ending June 2025), and the figures for that quarter derive from both the legacy Trust breast cancer services and the new regional service.


31 Day Target (decision to treat to first definitive treatment)

The 31 day target relates to all patients who received a first definitive treatment for cancer during each of the three months covered in the publication, irrespective of their source or type of referral.

This is measured from the date on which the patient and the clinician agree the planned treatment and ends on the date the patient receives their first definitive treatment for cancer. Adjustments are made to the completed waiting time in the event of a patient cancelling or self-deferring treatment or because of suspension for either medical or social reasons.


62 Day Target (urgent GP referral to first definitive treatment)

The 62 day target relates to patients who received a first definitive treatment for cancer during each of the three months covered in the publication, following an urgent referral for suspect cancer from a General Practitioner (GP) or a routine GP referral that has subsequently been reclassified as urgent by a cancer specialist. Referrals from sources other than a GP, routine referrals and patients who have not been given an ICD 10 diagnosis are excluded.

This is measured from the date an initial urgent GP referral for suspect cancer is received by the HSC Trust and ends on the date the patient receives their first definitive treatment for cancer. Adjustments are made to the completed waiting time in the event of a patient cancelling or self-deferring treatment or because of suspension for either medical or social reasons.

Prior to June 2009, the target relating to waiting time for treatment following an urgent GP referral for suspect cancer was that at least 75% of patients urgently referred with a suspect cancer should begin their first definitive treatment within 62 days of referral.


14 Day Target (urgent breast cancer referrals)

Breast cancer activity reported against the 14 day target relates to all urgent referrals for suspect breast cancer that were first seen during each of the three months covered in the publication, irrespective of the source of referral. Figures include routine referrals that have subsequently been reclassified by a breast specialist as urgent and exclude urgent referrals reclassified as routine.

This is measured from the date an initial breast cancer referral is first received by the HSC Trust, and ends on the date that the patient attends their first outpatient appointment with a breast cancer specialist. Adjustments are made to the completed waiting time in the event of a patient cancelling, self-deferring or failing to attend a first outpatient appointment.


Breast Cancer Referrals

Data users should note that breast cancer referrals statistics are not designated as Accredited Official Statistics.

Figures provided in the Breast Cancer Referrals section reflect all new referrals received for suspect breast cancer irrespective of the source or urgency of referral. Referrals for breast cancer can be for advice, assessment or both.


Patients referred and treated in different Trusts

The measurement of a patient’s waiting time against the 62 day target includes cases in which a patient was initially referred to one Trust for consultant assessment but was then subsequently transferred to another Trust for treatment. In such cases, the responsibility for that patient is shared, with 0.5 allocated to the Trust where the patient was first assessed and 0.5 to the Trust of first treatment. For example, if a patient is initially referred for assessment in the Southern HSC Trust and is then transferred to the Belfast HSC Trust where they receive treatment 70 days after their initial GP referral, both the Southern and Belfast HSC Trusts will report 0.5 of a patient treated who waited over 62 days.

For the 31 day target, all patients are reported against the Trust providing their treatment.

Breast cancer activity is reported against the Trust the patient is referred to.

Breast cancer referrals are reported against the Trust the patient is referred to. However, as some referrals will be transferred to another Trust, this referral can be recorded under both the intial Trust and the Trust that has accepted transfer of the patient.


ICD 10 codes and tumour sites

The 31 and 62 day targets relate to patients who received a first definitive treatment for cancer having been given an ‘International Classification of Diseases 10’ (ICD 10) diagnosis. Patients that have not been given an ICD 10 diagnosis are excluded.

Tumour sites are assigned by aggregation of applicable ICD 10 codes.

Data for all cancers are included except for basal cell carcinoma.


Breakdown by Trust and tumour site

A breakdown of these statistics by Trust and tumour site is not routinely published due to the relatively small number of patients involved and disclosure control needed to preserve the privacy of individual patients.


Patients resident outside Northern Ireland and private patients

These statistics include patients living outside Northern Ireland and privately funded patients seen in Health and Social Care hospitals in Northern Ireland.


Further technical guidance

Technical guidance and definitions, as well as notes on how to use the data contained within this statistical release are available at the following link:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/cancer-waiting-times-guidance-and-returns

Additional Information and Data


Data from this publication

Data detailed in this publication are also available in Excel file format to aid secondary analysis.

XLSX files are available to download at the following link: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-waiting-time-statistics-cancer-waiting-times-january-march-2026.


Other waiting times publications

Statistics on waiting times for inpatients, outpatients, diagnostic services and emergency care are available at the following link: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/doh-statistics-and-research/hospital-waiting-times-statistics


Accredited Official Statistics

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Accredited Official Statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) in 2011. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘Accredited Official Statistics’ (designation awarded in December 2013).

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR, which sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing or via the OSR website Office for Statistics Regulation (https://osr.statisticsauthority.gov.uk).

It is the Department of Health’s responsibility, as the producer, to maintain compliance with the standards expected of Accredited Official Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the OSR promptly. Accredited Official Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained and reinstated when standards are restored.

Find out more about the Code of Practice for Statistics at: https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/

Find out more about Official Statistics at: https://uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/about-the-authority/uk-statistical-system/types-of-official-statistics/


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