Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has visited Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex to see how its Regional Endoscopy Centre and Day Procedure Centre are helping to reduce regional waiting lists. During the visit he met staff and patients.

Recently published waiting times statistics for the quarter ending 31 March 2026 show falls in waits for first consultant-led outpatient appointments, inpatient and day case treatment, and diagnostics when compared with December 2025.

Nesbitt said the achievements at Omagh are making a real difference for patients and families, with more people receiving assessment, diagnostics and treatment sooner. He thanked staff for their professionalism, expertise and commitment, adding that timely care remains a key focus.

The Regional Endoscopy Centre, together with its Lagan Valley counterpart, has now delivered around 20,000 endoscopy procedures. The service provides additional capacity for patients requiring urgent assessment, including those on suspected cancer pathways.

The Day Procedure Centre has treated more than 24,000 patients across both the Omagh and Lagan Valley sites between October 2020 and April 2026. In 2025/26 alone, the Omagh centre carried out 1,109 theatre sessions and treated over 3,686 patients.

Mark Gillespie, Director of Surgery, Paediatrics and Women's Health at the Western Health and Social Care Trust, said staff are proud of the high-quality care delivered. He noted that the centres are improving patient pathways through earlier assessment and planned treatment, reflecting the Trust's focus on safe, effective and timely care.

The Day Procedure Unit operates as a standalone centre with three theatres, providing high-volume, low-complexity day procedures across pain management, gynaecology, urology, ENT, general surgery, ophthalmology and mental health. Pre-operative assessment services are co-located on site to support patient readiness and safe day case care.

Reducing waiting times is a key commitment within the Executive's Programme for Government.