To ask the Minister of Health for a timescale for the introduction for a 24/7 thrombectomy service.

The current thrombectomy service operates from 8am-5pm Monday to Sunday. It is estimated that just over £5 million recurrent funding is required to expand to a 24/7 service.

Following approval of the final budget for 2025/26, my Department was left with a funding gap of over £600 million. In this context, and while I remain committed to the establishment of a 24/7 thrombectomy service in Northern Ireland, I am currently unable to allocate the required additional funding. Consequently, at this point, I am unable to commit to a timescale for a 24/7 service.

In the interim, I am committed to maximising access to thrombectomy to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the service within the current hours of operation. To this end, it should be noted that the thrombectomy rate in Northern Ireland in 2024/25 was 5.2%, higher than the regional rates in England, Scotland and Wales.