To ask the Minister of Health to detail any actions planned to deliver faster diagnoses of multiple myeloma at primary care level.

The NI Cancer Network (NICaN) Haematology Clinical Reference Group (CRG) is currently updating NICaN Primary Care Referral Guidance for suspected cancers. This revised guideline will provide more specific advice on identifying suspected haematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma, as well as guidance on the appropriate referral pathways.

In addition, NICaN, in partnership with the Belfast Trust and the Macmillan GP facilitators, delivers monthly primary care education and awareness sessions for GPs, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals. These sessions aim to improve understanding of red-flag symptoms and support earlier recognition. Further GP education sessions will be scheduled to coincide with release of updated NICaN Primary Care Guidance for Haematology Cancers (expected mid-late 2026).

Patients may also hesitate to consult their GP when experiencing vague, non‑specific symptoms, often attributing these to ageing or less serious conditions. This highlights the importance of improving both public awareness and GP awareness to support earlier identification and diagnosis of multiple myeloma in primary care.

My Department has also established two Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs) to support cancer diagnosis. GPs across Northern Ireland can now refer patients who do not meet the standard suspected cancer criteria but for whom they have ongoing clinical concern to the ‘Vague Symptoms Pathway’ provided through the RDCs. This service is designed to support earlier investigation and diagnosis for patients whose vague symptoms may indicate a blood cancer.

In addition, work has commenced to facilitate region‑wide access to Whole‑Body MRI (WB‑MRI) for patients with suspected myeloma, with dedicated imaging capacity now ring‑fenced at the Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDCs). WB‑MRI is recommended as the first‑line imaging modality for suspected myeloma because of its high sensitivity in detecting bone marrow infiltration before any bone destruction becomes apparent.

Preliminary work is also underway as part of Action 16 of the NI Cancer Strategy 2022-2032 to establish a Specialist Integrated Haematology Malignancies Diagnostic Service (SIHMDS) for Northern Ireland, subject to the availability of funding. A SIHMDS will improve patient outcomes for haematological cancers through a more accurate, timely, and cost-efficient diagnostic process.