NEWS

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt pictured with staff at Meharry Medical School in Nashville. Northern Ireland’s Health Minister has said a high-profile visit to the United States has opened new doors for innovation, partnerships and global collaboration in healthcare. Mike Nesbitt’s trip, which ran from 16–21 March and coincided with St Patrick’s Day engagements, took in Washington DC and Nashville, where he met leading figures in health and social care to explore new ways of im

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust board has approved a business case for the purchase of nine new ultrasound scanners at a cost of almost £700,000. A report presented to the Trust board at its most recent meeting in January said: “This proposal aims to replace nine ultrasound scanners within radiology across the Trust. “The service covers a wide range of routine, planned, red flag and urgent examinations for both inpatients and outpatients, as well as unscheduled car

A registered nurse has been fined after a court heard she was operating an unlicensed aesthetics clinic from her home, where prescription-only medicines were being stored and advertised illegally. Nafeyka Chavdarova, 44, from Portadown, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court where she pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Human Medicines Regulations. She was fined £720 and ordered to pay an offender levy. Unlicensed medicines seized The case arose following a visit

North Antrim MP Jim Allister and Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Men in Northern Ireland with prostate cancer are being denied access to a life-extending drug already available to patients across the rest of the UK — prompting warnings of a “postcode lottery” that could cost lives. The drug, abiraterone, is prescribed across the UK for men with advanced prostate cancer that has spread. But while patients in England, Scotland and Wales can now also receive it for certain high-ri

Antrim Area Hospital car park Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has tabled draft legislation to defer the abolition of hospital parking charges, citing financial pressures on the health system. The draft Hospital Parking Charges Bill was introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly this week. If passed, it will delay the full implementation of the Hospital Parking Charges (NI) Act 2022, which provides for a ban on charging vehicles in hospital car parks. Delay driven by funding pr

The first 1,000 days of a baby’s life can shape their future health, education and wellbeing — and experts say getting support right during that window is critical. Leaders from across Northern Ireland’s health, education and community sectors gathered to launch a refreshed Infant Mental Health Framework and Action Plan designed to strengthen support for families from pregnancy through to a child’s third birthday. The updated framework, announced by Health Minister Mike Nesbi

(L-R) Sonya McMullan, Women’s Aid Federation; Maureen Ritchie, DoH; Catherine Magennis, PHA; Health Minister Mike Nesbitt; Amanda Mairs, NHSCT; Justice Minister Naomi Long; Sonia Glendinning, DoH; Amber McCloughlin, PHA; Martina Moore, DoH. New regional guidance designed to help nurses and midwives identify and respond to domestic abuse has been launched across Northern Ireland, aiming to strengthen early intervention and ensure victims receive the support they need sooner. T

Inset: Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Northern Ireland’s hospital waiting lists for outpatients, inpatients, and diagnostics have recorded small but meaningful reductions, a rare positive shift amid years of mounting demand. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt welcomed the latest figures and credited healthcare staff for their “tremendous effort” in improving patient access to care. Minister praises incremental improvements Speaking alongside the publication of the qu

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister has launched a new framework aimed squarely at reducing reliance on costly agency doctors and dentists — introducing a price cap for the first time and signalling a fresh push to stabilise the medical workforce. The new Medical and Dental Agency Framework follows the introduction of a Nursing, Midwifery and Support Workers Framework in May 2023, and forms part of a broader strategy to curb escalating agency spend across Health and Social Car

A Ballymena gym owner has been fined after unlicensed weight-loss medicines were discovered at his business — prompting a stark warning from health officials about the dangers of buying or supplying drugs outside regulated healthcare channels. Daniel O’Neill, 59, owner of DISQ Gym at Ross Court in Ballymena, appeared before Ballymena Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to an offence in breach of the Human Medicines Regulations. He was fined £1,000 plus an offender levy

Pictured with the Commissioner for Older People Siobhan Casey (second right) are from L-R George Bell, Wilma Stewart, Colin Flinn. Older people across Northern Ireland say they feel increasingly shut out from the health and social care system they paid into throughout their working lives, according to a new report published by the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland (COPNI). Voices of Concern: The Reality of Health and Social Care for Older People in Northern

Inset: Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has praised Health and Social Care (HSC) staff after new encompass data revealed the scale of daily patient care delivered across the region, including more than 43,000 appointments and over 70,000 domiciliary care calls in a single day. Providing an update on the encompass programme nearly ten months after all five geographic Trusts went live, the Minister said the integrated

Nexus NI has been awarded the contract to manage the Domestic and Sexual Abuse (DSA) Helpline, a free, confidential 24/7 support service for anyone impacted by domestic and/or sexual abuse in Northern Ireland. The contract was jointly awarded by the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Department for Communities. It will run for an initial three-year period, followed by two optional extension periods of two years each. 24/7 support for victims and survivors The Dom

Carolyn Tailford, Founder, Senior Director and Chair of A Safe Space to be Me . Adults with ADHD in Northern Ireland are being left without diagnosis, medication and support, according to mental health charity A Safe Space to Be Me, which has responded to the publication of the Department of Health’s long-awaited ADHD Needs Assessment. The report, published on Thursday, 12 February 2026, by the Department of Health, confirms significant gaps in provision for both children and

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has reaffirmed his commitment to delivering a 3.3% consolidated pay uplift for NHS staff from 1 April 2026, following the latest recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB). The proposed pay rise would apply to all Agenda for Change (AfC) pay points across Health and Social Care (HSC), impacting thousands of frontline staff including nurses, paramedics, healthcare assistants and administrati

Professor Mark Taylor, Regional Clinical Director for Elective Care, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, Lynn Tennant, Interim Assistant Director Surgical and Clinical Services, Lynne McCartney, Interim Director of Surgery and Clinical Services, and George Gardiner, Executive Director of Medicine. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has praised Causeway Hospital for the “encouraging” progress being made to modernise services and improve how patient care is delivered, following a visit to

Emergency departments across Northern Ireland are under sustained pressure, with rising demand, sicker patients and long waits continuing to challenge the health service, new figures release today (Thursday 5 February 2026) from the Department of Health (DoH) show. The latest bulletin covers all new and unplanned attendances at emergency care departments (EDs) during October, November and December 2025. It provides a detailed picture of how long patients are waiting, how many

Interim Chief Executive of the NI Ambulance Service (NIAS), Maxine Paterson Chest pain and stroke patients in Northern Ireland waited an average of two hours and 29 minutes for an ambulance last week, according to figures revealed by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). The stark statistics were disclosed by NIAS Interim Chief Executive Maxine Paterson at last Thursday’s (29 January) board meeting of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, where she warned that

Inset: Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan, chair of Northern Ireland Health Committee Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan has said the introduction of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol would help to save lives and reduce alcohol-related harm, after Stormont’s Health Committee agreed to formally back proposed legislation. The North Antrim MLA, who chairs the Assembly’s Health Committee, was speaking after members heard detailed evidence on the impact of excessive alcohol consumption

Staff members at Archway Community Mental Health Service pictured with the Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has strengthened its commitment to community-based mental health care with the opening of new bespoke facilities in Carrickfergus. The newly launched Archway Community Mental Health Service , located within the grounds of Carrickfergus Health Centre, provides assessment, diagnosis and treatment for individuals experiencing mental