NEWS

Health Minister Robbie Butler and Chief Nursing Officer Professor Maria McIlgorm Wednesday 21 October 2026 Two new initiatives aimed at strengthening nursing leadership and shaping the future of mental health services across Northern Ireland have been launched as the health service faces growing demand, staffing challenges and financial pressures. Health Minister Robbie Butler unveiled a Nursing and Midwifery Leadership Toolkit alongside a new Mental Health Nursing Model, des

L-R: Neil Sinclair, Chief Paramedic Officer, Michelle Estler, DoH, Jenny Keane, NIAS Chief Executive, Health Minister Robbie Butler, and Michele Larmour NIAS Chair. Wednesday 21 October 2026 More than 63,000 incidents handled by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) were resolved without patients needing to be taken to hospital during 2025/26, highlighting the growing importance of alternative approaches to emergency care as the health service prepares for another dem

Tuesday 20 October 2026 Northern Ireland’s leading emergency doctors have issued a stark warning that hospital emergency departments are already struggling to cope, with fears that the coming winter could push services into an even deeper crisis. A new survey by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has revealed widespread concern among senior A&E doctors, with seven of the eight Northern Ireland clinical leads who responded describing themselves as either very or ex

Thursday 15 October 2026 Nearly 900 children and young people are in care across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust area, with numbers continuing to rise despite a substantial reduction in children on the Child Protection Register. New Department of Health statistics show that 899 children were in care across the Trust area, which includes Ballymena, Antrim, Coleraine and surrounding communities, at 31 March 2026 – an increase of 20 compared with the previous year. At

Saturday 10 October 2026 Stroke patients across Northern Ireland can now receive potentially life-saving thrombectomy treatment at any time of the day or night, ending a restriction that previously left some patients waiting hours for a procedure that could reduce permanent disability. The introduction of the 24-hour, seven-day service marks a major improvement in stroke care following years of campaigning by survivors, families, clinicians and the Stroke Association. For Mag

Friday 09 October 2026 Staff at Dalriada Urgent Care have been made aware of impending redundancies after two Health Trusts gave formal notice that their Phone First contracts will end next month. A concerned member of staff told Love Ballymena that employees have been made aware of impending redundancies following the decision by the Northern and South Eastern Health Trusts to terminate contracts with effect from the end of November. Dalriada Urgent Care provides the call ha

Ballymena woman Gemma O’Hara pictured with North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland Friday 09 October 2026 North Antrim MLA Sian Mulholland has welcomed the introduction of a new 24/7 stroke treatment service across Northern Ireland, following her efforts to highlight the experience of Ballymena mother of four Gemma O’Hara, whose recovery was transformed by the specialist procedure. Gemma, 40, suffered a brain stem stroke in September 2025 and underwent a thrombectomy, a procedure th

Thursday 08 October 2026 Patients living with neurological conditions across Northern Ireland are to benefit from an additional £2.3 million in annual funding aimed at increasing specialist treatment capacity and beginning to reduce lengthy waiting lists. A dedicated Neurology Delivery Team will also be established to oversee improvements to services, following a major regional review which highlighted the need for reform in how neurological care is delivered. Health Minister

Health Minister Robbie Butler Wednesday 07 October 2026 Health Minister Robbie Butler has warned that waiting times across Northern Ireland remain too long and financial pressures are significant, despite reporting progress under efforts to reform health and social care. Opening the NICON26 conference in Belfast today, Mr Butler said more than 36,800 additional patients received treatment, assessment or diagnostic services during the first quarter of 2026/27, while waiting li

Tuesday 06 October 2026 Stroke patients across Northern Ireland can now access potentially life-changing thrombectomy treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week, removing the time of day or night as a barrier to the specialist procedure. The expanded regional service, based at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, began operating around the clock on 14 September and has already treated patients during the new overnight hours. Health Minister Robbie Butler confirmed the ser

Sunday 04 October 2026 Investment in Northern Ireland’s GP services has risen above inflation for the second consecutive year, reaching £435.1 million in 2025/26, according to new Department of Health figures. Total investment in general practice, including reimbursement for drugs dispensed directly by GP practices, increased by £22.887m from £412.168m in 2024/25 — a cash rise of 5.55%. After inflation is taken into account, the year-on-year increase was 2.04%. The £435.055m

Coleraine Magistrates’ Court Friday 02 October 2026 A 24-year-old Coleraine woman has been fined £1,500 after admitting offences involving the unlawful possession of unauthorised prescription medicines intended for sale or supply. Alana Dalton, of Kenton Drive, appeared at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court today in relation to five offences under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. She received fines totalling £1,500 along with a £15 offender levy. Medicines seized from Colerain

Claire Little before treatment for cancer Thursday 01 October 2026 Around seven in ten cancer patients in Northern Ireland waited longer than the 62-day treatment target following an urgent GP referral, with Health Minister Robbie Butler acknowledging that the overall position is “not acceptable”. Cancer Research UK says around 1,000 patients — 71.6% of those covered by the measure — waited beyond the target during April to June 2026, with every health trust missing the requi

Wednesday 30 September 2026 People aged 59 in Northern Ireland will begin receiving invitations for bowel cancer screening from 2 November, as a phased expansion aims to detect more cancers before symptoms develop. Those aged 58 will join the programme from April 2027, with eligibility gradually widening until everyone aged 50 to 74 is included by 2031. The change will give younger adults access to screening currently offered every two years to people aged 60 to 74. Once full

Health Minister Robbie Butler Speaking at today’s Ulster Unionist Party conference Saturday 26 September 2026 Health Minister Robbie Butler has signalled that an expansion of Northern Ireland’s life-saving thrombectomy service is moving closer, telling the Ulster Unionist Party conference that the case for providing the specialist stroke treatment 24 hours a day, seven days a week “has been made”. Mr Butler, who took over the Department of Health just over five weeks ago, als

Friday 25 September 2026 People facing lengthy waits for healthcare in Northern Ireland are set to receive more free community-based support after a £500,000 funding scheme was extended for another year. The Support While Waiting Grant Scheme will fund charities to provide practical assistance, emotional and mental health support, and help patients manage existing conditions while they remain on Health and Social Care waiting lists. £5,000 to £30,000 grants available Health M

(L-R) RCGPNI Chair Dr Ursula Mason, Northern Ireland Health Minister Robbie Butler, and Dr Emma Murtagh (Vice Chair Policy, RCGPNI) Tuesday 22 September 2026 Northern Ireland’s GP service is at a “critical juncture”, with the number of practices falling by almost 13% since 2014 while the registered patient population has risen to 2.07 million, a major new policy paper has warned. The Royal College of General Practitioners Northern Ireland (RCGPNI) says the combination of risi

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Northern Ireland has just 154 registered dental hygienists — around half the number per head of population recorded in England — as North Antrim MP Jim Allister calls for urgent action to expand training and make greater use of hygienists within Health Service dentistry. The TUV leader has challenged Health Minister Robbie Butler after being contacted by dental professionals concerned that there is no dental hygiene training course available in Nor

Wednesday 16 September 2026 Fewer than half of people in Northern Ireland are now registered with a dentist for publicly funded care after more than 389,000 patient registrations disappeared in less than three years, a Department of Health-commissioned independent review has revealed. The report warns publicly funded dentistry may be “approaching a tipping point” and concludes current levels of public sector remuneration are unlikely to remain sufficient to attract and retain

Almost 900 complaints were made to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust during a nine-month period, as new figures reveal a sharp rise in complaints across Northern Ireland’s health service. The Northern Trust recorded 896 complaints between April and December 2025 — 17% of the 5,222 received by all six Health and Social Care Trusts, including the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. Across Northern Ireland, the total was up by 1,208 — or 30% — from 4,014 during the same