NEWS

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

More than 70,000 people across the Northern Trust area have already downloaded the My Care app, with health officials now encouraging more patients to sign up to access key parts of their medical records online. The My Care patient portal allows patients to securely view specific information from their health records, including medications, appointments and some test results, using their smartphone or tablet. The app is available on both iOS and Android devices and is design

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

Joanne McCook in conversation with Northern Trust Clinical Nurse Specialist Yvonne McGraw. “Everyone should be cancer aware.” That is the clear message from Co Antrim woman Joanne McCook, who has shared her personal breast cancer journey ahead of World Cancer Day on Wednesday 4 February. Joanne, who lives in Ballybogey, was diagnosed with Grade 3 breast cancer in 2022 despite feeling well and having no warning signs. Now, through a partnership with the Northern Health and Soc

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

Catherine Sherry, a 42-year-old mother from Co Armagh, died after being forced to travel to London for treatment that was available around 60 miles away in Dublin Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is to write to the Health Ministers in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to seek progress on an all-Ireland provision of CAR T-cell therapy. The move follows a successful motion brought forward by Sinn Féin councillor Leanne Peacock at the council’s Corporate

(L-R) Professor Mark Lawler, Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast and Co-Lead of the eHealth Hub for Cancer; Margaret Grayson, Patient Advocate, Northern Ireland Cancer Research Consumer Forum (NICRCF); Minister of Health for Northern Ireland, Mike Nesbitt; Miriam Staunton, Chairperson, United Cancer Advocates Network Ireland (UCAN); and Professor Aedin Culhane, Professor of Cancer at University of Limerick and Programme Co-Lead of the eHealth Hub for Can

Nurse Bernie Rogers A nurse with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has said she would “absolutely do it all over again” as she marks an extraordinary 50 years of service to the nursing profession. Bernie Rogers, from Maghera , began her career in January 1976 at the School of Nursing in Mid Ulster Hospital. Five decades on, and despite officially retiring, she continues to play a valued role within Team North, supporting colleagues and patients alike. A special event

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has raised profound concerns about the state of Northern Ireland’s health service, using a tragic local case to highlight what he described as systemic failures in ambulance response policy. Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, January 20, Mr Gaston said the Department of Health had become “by far the most frustrating Department” he had dealt with during his first 19 months as an MLA, accusing it of ignoring Assembly contributions, delayi

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department Five beds were placed adjacent to fire safety doors at Antrim Hospital as a “last resort” to ease pressure in the emergency department, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board has been told. Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board at Antrim Hospital on Thursday (22 January), Gillian Traub, director of operations , said additional bed capacity had to be “created”. She explained that five in-patient spaces were identified, enab

Planning permission has been approved for the construction of a £3.5 million cancer support centre at Antrim Hospital, members of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board have been told. Paddy Graffin, the Northern Trust’s Divisional Director of Infrastructure, informed members at a meeting held at Antrim Hospital on Thursday that permission has been granted by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for the proposed new facility. The centre is being funded through a p

Norovirus cases across the UK have surged by more than 60% in the past fortnight, prompting renewed public health warnings from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), particularly as infections rise sharply among older adults and hospital outbreaks increase. The latest UKHSA weekly surveillance report for the 2025/26 season shows that norovirus laboratory reports between 5 and 18 January 2026 were 61.1% higher than the previous two-week period and 60% higher than the five-sea

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH). Waiting times for hip and knee replacement surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) have reduced significantly, according to the Department of Health, as part of wider efforts to expand elective capacity and improve patient access across Northern Ireland. The progress follows the introduction of a regional orthopaedic programme at SWAH, combining the use of independent sector capacity with improved theat

Organ Donation Specialist Nurse Jacqueline Heasley pictured with colleagues from Causeway Hospital’s Emergency Department, Niamh Mullan, Carmel Alexander (Deputy Clinical Sister) Caoimhe Larsen (Staff Nurse) and Kim Carson. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is harnessing the power of storytelling to support children and families facing the loss of a loved one, with a new collection of bereavement books now available in hospital settings. A carefully selected range of

Northern Trust Health Visitor, Mary Donnelly, winner of the Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) Student Health Visitor Award, pictured with Alison Morton, Chief Executive of the Institute of Health Visiting. A newly qualified health visitor with the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has received national recognition after winning a prestigious UK-wide award from the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV). Mary Donnelly secured first place in the Specialist Commu

The UK medicines regulator has approved a higher maximum dose of the weight-loss drug Wegovy (semaglutide), allowing some patients with obesity to receive up to 7.2mg per week under medical supervision. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirmed on 6 January 2026 that the increased dose is authorised only for adult patients with obesity, defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg/m² or higher, and must be used alongside a reduced-calorie diet an

Northern Ireland’s Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has acknowledged continued pressure on cancer waiting times while insisting that early signs of improvement are already emerging following the introduction of a new regional breast assessment service. Newly published cancer waiting time statistics for July to September 2025 capture what the Minister described as “an early stage in the transition” to the regional model, the first quarter in which all five Health and Social Care (