Stormont's Department of Health has confirmed that 44,657 referrals have been affected by problems with the Encompass patient record system, including 16,366 urgent referrals and 1,423 suspected cancer referrals. The issues relate to referral rejection letters not being sent to GP practices after clinical triage, meaning some GPs did not receive confirmation of the outcome.

The department said patient safety remains the priority and trusts are carrying out urgent reviews, prioritising higher-risk cases. A spokesperson said that while referrals were received and assessed, some GPs "may not have received confirmation of the triage outcome as intended." Work continues with the regional Encompass team and trusts to address the issues.

The problems were first identified in a technical system issue affecting the generation of rejection communications between November 2025 and May 2026. A subsequent investigation found a separate cohort of earlier cases dating back to trust go-live periods, where rejection communications were not consistently issued due to local workflow and process factors.

The former Health Minister Mike Nesbitt provided written responses to Assembly questions on the matter, confirming the figures and explaining the two components of the issue. He said the first component was a technical problem addressed by a system correction implemented in April 2026.

The Encompass system, which cost approximately £400 million, was intended to create a digital health and care record for every citizen in Northern Ireland. It has been rolled out across health trusts over the past several years.

DUP MLA Paul Frew, who has been questioning the department on the issue for months, described the failings as "horrific" and said it was a complete systems failure that would cause torment for those impacted. He highlighted the anguish for people awaiting cancer results.

The department has said further information will be provided once figures and patient impact have been validated.