29 July 2025 

SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has acknowledged the appointment of Professor Mark Taylor to lead efforts to reduce health waiting lists.

Mr McGrath questioned why it had taken so long for such an intervention, given years of lengthening waiting lists.

South Down MLA Mr McGrath said:

“This is yet another announcement from the Minister without meaningful detail on the scope of Professor Taylor’s role or how exactly it will bring down waiting lists. These lists have been getting longer for years, and it is fair to ask why successive Ministers have waited so long to make this kind of appointment.

“Ultimately, this role, and the wider Executive response, will be judged on whether it delivers real progress in reducing waiting times. We must also confront the underlying causes of these delays. It’s no good taking action now, only to find ourselves back in another crisis in a few years’ time.

“We’ve heard that £85 million will go to red-flag and time-critical care, £80 million toward building capacity, and up to £50 million to address the care backlog, but this funding has already been announced. What the public wants now is concrete action, not recycled figures.

“The collective action being taken by GPs, already under immense pressure, adds urgency to this crisis. Our health system is failing both patients and staff and despite warm words, we’ve yet to see anything that gives confidence the Executive will meet the scale of the challenge.”