Almost 8,000 planned operations have been cancelled in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area over the past four years, new Department of Health figures show.
A total of 7,877 planned elective surgeries were cancelled between 2022 and 2025, excluding 2021 which was omitted due to the impact of Covid-19.
The figures, released in response to an Assembly question, show:
2022: 18,785 scheduled surgeries, 1,983 cancelled
2023: 20,889 scheduled surgeries, 1,900 cancelled
2024: 23,403 scheduled surgeries, 2,200 cancelled
2025: 15,203 scheduled surgeries, 1,794 cancelled
While the overall number of cancellations has fallen compared with earlier years, the percentage of operations cancelled has increased, prompting concerns about the level of disruption for patients and their families.
DUP MLA Gareth Wilson, who obtained the figures with a tabled questioned to the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, said the numbers would “resonate with many patients and families across our community who have faced the frustration and uncertainty of cancelled operations”.
“Behind every single cancellation is an individual who may have waited months, or even years, for treatment, only to have that long‑anticipated procedure postponed at short notice. This can lead to additional pain and inconvenience,” he said.
Mr Wilson stressed that frontline staff should not be blamed for the situation.
“It is important to recognise the immense pressure that our health service staff are working under. Doctors, nurses and support staff continue to go above and beyond in extremely challenging circumstances, and they should not be blamed for these figures. Rather, this highlights the systemic pressures within our health service that must be addressed.
“Cancellations are an operational inevitability but we need to see steps taken to reduce these numbers for the benefit of patients. I will be engaging with Trust officials and the Department of Health to seek clarity on what actions can be taken to reduce these numbers further.”
The Health Minister said some of the disruption in 2025 was linked to the Southern Trust’s move to the new Encompass digital system in May of that year, which involved planned reductions in scheduled activity “to enable safe and effective implementation”.
A major IT outage in September 2025 also affected planned elective activity across all sites.
Mr Nesbitt said his department has provided recurrent funding to Trusts to support a dual notification system for appointment reminders, with text messages used alongside appointment letters to minimise inconvenience and reduce cancellations due to non-attendance.
He added that the Encompass system is now fully operational across Northern Ireland, and through the My Care app patients can securely access appointment and treatment information, including upcoming dates and some test results, in an effort to improve communication and reduce disruption.
