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BBC News
By Niall McCracken
Red flag cases can describe urgent and often live-saving procedures.
The figures include cancelled surgeries as well as procedures such as endoscopies.
The Department of Health (DoH) said it was deeply regrettable that any patient experiences postponed operations . The department is assured that every attempt will continue to be made to protect the most urgent surgery, and that postponed operations will be rescheduled as quickly as possible, said a DoH spokesperson. Trusts are keeping the position under daily review.
The department s latest figures show that between 18 March 2020 and 21 January 2021 there were 4,280 red flag cancer procedure cancellations across Northern Ireland s health trusts.
BBC News
By Niall McCracken
image copyrightGetty Images
image captionMore than a third of patients waited longer than two hours for a mental health assessment in Belfast Trust emergency departments between 2017 and 2020
Mental health targets have been missed thousands of times at Northern Ireland s emergency departments (ED) - with some people in crisis waiting more than eight hours for an assessment.
Health trusts aim to assess such patients at ED within two hours, but miss that target 20% of the time.
Health officials said access to mental health services is a key priority.
But they accepted availability of those services has been hit by extra pressures caused by the pandemic.