Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has praised the essential role of the voluntary and community sector during a visit to Knitted Knockers of Northern Ireland (KKNI). The visit, marking the charity’s tenth anniversary, highlighted a decade of providing free handmade breast prostheses alongside recent improvements in breast assessment waiting times—whilst underscoring that official cancer targets across Northern Ireland remain substantially unmet.
A Decade of Handmade Support
Founded in 2016 by Joanne Harris, Knitted Knockers now operates from its new base at 80-82 High Street in Lurgan. The organisation has grown from a small circle of knitters into a network of more than 74 volunteers.
The charity produces over 5,000 lightweight, 100% cotton breast prostheses annually for women who have undergone mastectomies or breast reconstruction, offering an alternative to traditional silicone prostheses that some patients find heavy and uncomfortable.
Beyond the knitted items, the charity provides waterproof “swimming knockers,” post-surgery comfort kits, and drain bag covers. In 2017, it established “The Clubhouse,” a mental health and wellbeing initiative that now supports more than 50 members through creative and social programmes. According to Charity Commission records, the organisation reported an income of £59,472 in the period ending April 2025, spending £58,180 on charitable activities and support.
Minister Praises “Vital” Voluntary Role
During his visit on 21 April 2026, Minister Nesbitt met with Joanne Harris and Hope Graham to discuss how the charity supports women across Northern Ireland, emphasising the importance of community-led care alongside medical treatment.
Minister Nesbitt said:
“This is a wonderful example of volunteers coming together to provide support for those living with breast cancer. Joanne Harris and her team of dedicated volunteer knitters produce over 5,000 free, handmade prostheses every year for women who have had a mastectomy or breast reconstruction.
“I am committed to improving the breast assessment service for women across Northern Ireland and the latest statistics show substantial progress in this area with current assessment waiting times halved from 12 weeks in September 2025 to 5 weeks 2 days.
“In addition to medical intervention, the compassionate support from charities like Knitted Knockers is vital, creating a social environment through the Breast Friends Clubhouse, as well as providing mental health and wellbeing assistance.”
Progress Against Persistent Delays
Whilst the Minister welcomed the reduction in assessment waiting times from 12 weeks to approximately five weeks, the figures remain far short of the government’s 14-day target for urgent breast cancer referrals. Department of Health statistics for the quarter ending December 2025 show that only 5.5% of patients (213 of 3,902) were seen within the 14-day target, an improvement from just 3.5% in the previous quarter, but still leaving thousands of women waiting well beyond the recommended timeframe.
The Minister acknowledged that the 14-day target has “never been met” in Northern Ireland, attributing recent improvements to the transition to a new regional breast assessment service and the rollout of the Encompass digital system. The Department has provided £5 million in recurrent funding under the Elective Care Framework to support a consultant-led assessment model.
However, treatment targets also remain elusive. Only 29.5% of patients began treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in the last quarter, far below the 95% target, whilst 90.1% started treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat, approaching but still missing the 98% target.
The Charity Sector Stepping In
Knitted Knockers represents one of several charities filling gaps in breast cancer support across Northern Ireland. Pretty ‘n Pink, founded in 2006, provides financial assistance to patients and families, whilst Breast Cancer Now launched its Service Pledge programme in Northern Ireland in March 2024 to improve patient experience across four Health and Social Care Trusts. Action Cancer and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland also provide detection and support services.
The reliance on volunteer-led organisations to provide essential prosthetic and mental health services raises questions about equity of access, particularly given the geographic concentration of charities in the Greater Belfast area whilst waiting lists affect patients across all five Trusts.
Outstanding Questions on Targets and Equity
- Given that the 14-day assessment target has never been met, what concrete steps beyond the current regional service model will the Department take to achieve compliance, and by what date?
- How will the Department formalise partnerships with charities like Knitted Knockers to ensure sustainable funding for the prosthetic and mental health services that patients clearly need but which fall outside core NHS provision?
- With only 5.5% of urgent referrals meeting the 14-day target despite the “substantial progress” cited, what interim support is available for the 94.5% of patients still waiting more than two weeks for assessment?
- As the Cancer Research Strategic Framework launched in November 2025 progresses, how will patient experience and waiting time reduction be balanced against research and innovation priorities?
As Knitted Knockers enters its second decade, the charity continues to demonstrate the significant contribution of community volunteers to cancer care. The next quarterly cancer waiting time statistics, due for release in July 2026, will indicate whether the current downward trend can be sustained or accelerated toward finally meeting the 14-day target. Patients and charities alike will be watching to see if the Minister’s commitment translates into targets finally being achieved.