Health Minister Robbie Butler has announced £2.3 million in recurrent annual funding for neurology services in Northern Ireland.

The money will come from the Department's Elective Care Fund and will be used to increase capacity and begin reducing waiting lists. A dedicated Neurology Delivery Team is also being established to implement the findings of the Department's Regional Review of Neurology Services.

The Minister made the announcement via a Written Ministerial Statement to the Assembly, while publishing consultation outcomes for the review. He said many people with neurological conditions face unacceptable waits for assessment and treatment, difficulty accessing specialist support, and variation in services.

The Delivery Team will provide strategic leadership, programme management and oversight. It will develop an implementation plan with clear milestones, deliverables and performance measures.

The Department's Regional Neurology Alliance, established last year, will identify how the additional funding can best be used to create capacity and address waiting lists, pending the establishment of the Delivery Team.

Speaking at the NICON26 conference on 7 October, Butler highlighted progress under the Health and Social Care Reset Plan. He said more than 36,800 additional patients received treatment, assessment or diagnostics in the first quarter of 2026/27, and waiting lists across priority procedures fell by 25%.

The endoscopy backlog has been cut by over 28,000 patients since June 2022, and over £300 million in efficiencies and savings were delivered last year. The Lagan Valley Regional Day Procedure Centre has completed almost 26,000 procedures since opening.

Butler said waiting times remain too long and financial challenges are significant. He emphasised that reform must go hand in hand with sustainability.