NEWS

Members of the carers walking group pictured in Antrim Castle Gardens with Claire Campbell and Louise Feeney from the Northern Trust’s Carer Hub. Unpaid carers across the Northern Trust area are being offered new support through a wide-ranging programme of wellbeing classes, peer support groups and activities designed to help them look after their own physical and mental health. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has launched its latest Carer Support Programme during C

Mental Health Champion Professor Siobhan O'Neill with Philip McGuigan MLA, Chair of the Health Committee and Danny Donnelly MLA, Deputy Chair of the Health Committee. Expanding community mental health support and tackling mounting pressure on crisis services have emerged as urgent priorities after frontline organisations warned politicians about growing strain across Northern Ireland’s mental health system. More than 50 people from across the sector gathered at Parliament Bui

Alongside midwifery-led unit is under construction at Antrim Area Hospital. The interim chief executive of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has warned that “financial challenges can be expected to continue into the financial year”. Suzanne Pullins was speaking at last week’s meeting of the Trust board at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. In an update on the Northern Trust’s financial position, Stevie Lennon, interim director of finance, told board members the Trust had

Patients across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to recognise the family doctors and practice teams who have made a real difference to their lives as nominations open for the Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland’s GP and Practice Team of the Year Awards 2026. The annual awards, launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland (RCGPNI), aim to shine a spotlight on GPs and surgery teams who have gone “above and beyond” to support p

A Northern Ireland health trust has reported average ambulance “turnaround” times of 74 minutes at Antrim Hospital and 82 minutes at Causeway Hospital during April 2026. The figures were presented in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Board Performance Report for April during last week’s meeting of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine. During the same month, 250 patients arriving by ambulance at Antrim Hospital waited more t

Nuala O’Connell, a Ward Sister at Antrim Area Hospital A nurse leading one of Northern Ireland’s busiest hospital teams has been recognised for transforming both staff wellbeing and patient care after introducing a workplace support initiative designed to help struggling colleagues reach out in confidence. Nuala O’Connell, a Ward Sister at Antrim Area Hospital, was named winner of the Team Manager Award at the RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Awards, with four other Nor

Causeway Hospital, Coleraine Campaign group SOS Causeway Hospital has said it will “oppose any attempt to remove emergency surgery without clear evidence that access to the best standard of care and patient safety will be protected”. In a statement issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service as Causeway Hospital in Coleraine marks its 25th anniversary, group chair Gemma Brolly said SOS Causeway Hospital would “insist that consultation responses are not only collected but

Sue Ellen McAuley (right) pictured with Grainne Whyte and Leon Whyte. More than 100 children with disabilities across Northern Ireland are currently waiting to be matched with a short breaks foster carer, as one County Antrim woman urges others to consider what she describes as “the most rewarding thing that you’ll ever do.” With growing pressure on families caring for children with complex needs, foster carers are being asked to provide vital short breaks that give parents a

Hundreds of thousands of extra appointments, scans and operations have been delivered across Northern Ireland’s health service in a major drive to tackle some of the country’s worst waiting lists, with ministers claiming significant progress for patients left waiting years for care. New year-end figures released by the Department of Health show more than 385,000 additional assessments, diagnostics and treatments were carried out during 2025/26 as part of an intensive elective

Anne Campbell, Kevin Cassidy and Paddy Graffin pictured at an event celebrating 25 years of Causeway Hospital. Causeway Hospital has marked 25 years since opening its doors, with health leaders using the milestone to underline renewed commitments to the future of acute services on the north coast. Staff, former colleagues, patients, volunteers and members of the Causeway Hospital Partnership Forum gathered on Monday for a special anniversary event celebrating the hospital’s q

Teams from PHA and the Health Trusts have been engaging with the public at the 'This is our health' roadshows. People across Northern Ireland are being urged to speak up about the future of the health service this summer as a major public engagement campaign rolls out to more than 120 events and community venues. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt says the new “This is our health” initiative is about more than hospital waiting lists or GP appointments — it is an attempt to redefine

NIO Minister Matthew Patrick; Secretary of State, Hilary Benn MP; Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health; Health Minister Mike Nesbitt; deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly; Finance Minister John O'Dowd; Leah O’Donnell, Pharmacist at Carryduff Pharmacy; Marie Smith, Chair of Community Pharmacy NI. A major £42 million investment to replace paper prescriptions with a fully digital system across Northern Ireland has been unveiled as part o

Causeway Hospital, Coleraine The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has reaffirmed its commitment to Causeway Hospital in Coleraine as the facility marks its 25th anniversary. Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board at the hospital on Thursday, interim chief executive Suzanne Pullins said the Trust had published an update as it “continues to deliver on its vision” for Causeway Hospital. The Trust said Causeway Hospital “continues to play a vital role in our hospital netwo

An urgent regional appeal has been launched to recruit more foster carers for children with disabilities across Northern Ireland, as more than 100 young people remain waiting for vital short break support. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced the first ever region-wide campaign for Short Breaks foster carers for children and young people with disabilities, amid growing demand across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas. There are currently 109 children and young

Inset: Interim chief executive of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust The interim chief executive of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has acknowledged the publication of the Northern Ireland Audit Office report on the use of temporary nursing staff across Northern Ireland. Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board at Causeway Hospital, Coleraine, on Thursday morning, Suzanne Pullins said the report “sends out a very important message about reliance on temporary

Patients across Northern Ireland who have spent years waiting for surgery and treatment are set to benefit from a major new funding commitment after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt confirmed £80 million will be ringfenced next year to expand elective care capacity and cut some of the health service’s longest waiting lists. The funding package, confirmed during a visit to the Mater Hospital’s Elective Overnight Stay Centre in Belfast, will support waiting list reduction work duri

Emergency Department at Antrim Area Hospital Emergency departments across Northern Ireland are becoming dangerously overcrowded as a result of a new ambulance handover policy designed to speed up patient transfers, according to frontline emergency medicine leaders. A snap survey carried out by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has revealed that more than half of Emergency Department Clinical Leads believe the policy is worsening conditions inside already stretche

Parents across Northern Ireland who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy are set to receive formal recognition of their loss for the first time under new legislation approved at Stormont. Finance Minister John O’Dowd confirmed the Assembly has now approved the Baby Loss Certificate Regulations, paving the way for a new scheme expected to launch before the end of June. The move marks a major change for bereaved families who, until now,

Colette Sloan from Coleraine People across Northern Ireland are being urged not to ignore unusual moles or skin changes as the Northern Health and Social Care Trust marks Skin Cancer Awareness Month with a fresh warning about the dangers of delayed diagnosis. The Trust has teamed up with a local woman who discovered a suspicious mole after returning from holiday, as health professionals stress that early detection of skin cancer can save lives. Melanoma, while less common tha

L-R Fionnuala Walsh, Head of Funding UK Portfolio, The National Lottery Community Fund, Jacinta Linden, Co-Director of Together for Families, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, Paul Sweeney, Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, The National Lottery Community Fund and Peter Toogood, Deputy Secretary, Social Care and Public Health Policy Group. Paper prescriptions are set to become a thing of the past in Northern Ireland under a major £42 million digital transformation programme