Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has highlighted how a £2.9 million investment in primary care elective services is diverting thousands of patients from hospital waiting lists during a visit to Glengormley Practice. The scheme, which covers gynaecology assessments, vasectomies and minor surgeries, has delivered over 15,260 consultations in 2025/26 and is being held up as a flagship example of the new Neighbourhood Model of care.
Primary Care Elective Services in Action
During his visit to the Glengormley Practice on 1 May 2026, Minister Nesbitt met with GPs and practice staff to discuss how primary care elective services (GPEC) are reducing pressures on secondary care. The practice is one of 19 host practices across Northern Ireland specialising in the assessment and treatment of gynaecological conditions.
Key achievements highlighted during the visit include:
- Over 15,260 face-to-face and remote consultations delivered in 2025/26
- More than 1,450 vasectomies performed by GPs with Enhanced Skills (GPwES) — an increase of almost 400 compared to the previous year
- 6,000 gynaecology patients assessed and approximately 3,000 procedures completed
- £2.9 million in dedicated funding for the primary care elective service
Minister Praises “Life Changing” Impact
Speaking at the practice, Minister Nesbitt emphasised the role of these services in tackling Northern Ireland’s persistent waiting list challenges. Latest statistics show that 527,062 patients were waiting for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment at the end of December 2025, with gynaecology accounting for significant numbers of those waits.
Minister Nesbitt said:
“I am pleased to see the £2.9million funding set aside for the primary care elective service is making a real difference, reducing hospital waiting lists for routine procedures and improving patient outcomes. Over 15,260 face-to-face and remote consultations have been delivered in 2025/26, underscoring the importance of GP practices in the roll out of the Neighbourhood model, an approach to help people receive more proactive and specialist care closer to home.”
He added:
“The Neighbourhood model is a long-term approach to changing healthcare, working in partnership with local providers to shape services that work for the individual. Primary care elective services are a positive example of the right care provided in the right place at the right time, for the benefit of patients. This valuable service has been critical in addressing waiting lists and I look forward to other elective pathways being added.”
Clinical Leadership Welcomes Investment
Dr Eimear McLaverty, Regional Elective Care Gynaecology Clinical Lead, welcomed the Minister’s visit and emphasised the collaborative nature of the work.
“As GPs our focus is always on providing the best care for our patients close to home. This is why the elective care model has been so successful as we know our patients’ needs and have the enhanced clinical skills to provide care that complements the skills of our secondary care colleagues. We welcome the investment into GP elective care services and are pleased to continue working in partnership with our secondary care colleagues to provide a collaborative approach to patient care and reduce waiting times.”
Context and Broader Reform
The visit comes as the Department of Health implements its Neighbourhood Model of Health and Wellbeing, published in March 2026, which aims to shift care closer to communities through Integrated Neighbourhood Teams. This primary care elective service expansion runs alongside a broader £61 million investment in GP services announced last year to expand Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) working across Northern Ireland.
However, significant challenges remain. Despite these primary care interventions, hospital waiting lists remain at historic highs. At the end of September 2025, 54,710 patients were waiting for gynaecology services alone, with some facing delays of several years.
Gaps and Unanswered Questions
While the Minister’s announcement highlights progress, several details remain unclear:
- How the £2.9 million is distributed across the 19 host practices and whether this funding is recurrent or time-limited
- Which specific “other elective pathways” are being considered for future expansion beyond gynaecology and vasectomies
- How the Department will measure the direct impact of these primary care interventions on hospital waiting list reductions
- Whether rural practices have equal capacity to deliver these enhanced services compared to urban centres like Glengormley
Key questions for stakeholders include:
- How will the Department ensure equitable geographic access to these specialised primary care services, particularly in rural areas?
- What workforce planning is in place to ensure sufficient GPs with Enhanced Skills (GPwES) can be recruited and retained to sustain these services?
- Will patients who have already waited years for hospital gynaecology appointments be proactively offered these primary care alternatives?
- How does this £2.9 million programme integrate with the separate £61 million MDT expansion to avoid duplication or gaps?
- What patient outcome measures will be used to assess whether care delivered in primary care settings matches hospital standards?
What to Watch For
The success of these primary care elective services will likely determine whether the Department expands the model to other specialities such as orthopaedics, ENT or ophthalmology — all of which carry substantial waiting lists. With the Neighbourhood Model now in its implementation phase, the coming months will reveal whether these community-based interventions can make a measurable dent in Northern Ireland’s waiting list crisis, or whether they represent a necessary but insufficient step toward clearing the backlog.