NEWS

A major new weight-loss treatment has been approved for use in the UK, marking the first time a GLP-1 receptor agonist tablet has been authorised for weight management rather than requiring injections. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced on Thursday, June 11, that the semaglutide tablet, marketed under the Wegovy brand, has met the regulator’s standards for safety, quality and effectiveness and can now be prescribed to eligible patients ac

Ten brave volunteers stepped over the edge of one of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable buildings at the weekend, taking on a dramatic abseil down Belfast’s Europa Hotel to raise vital funds for older people across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne. The fundraising challenge, held on Sunday, 7 June, saw participants descend the side of the iconic city-centre hotel in support of Agewell, helping to generate much-needed income for services that tackle loneliness, improve wel

Healthcare workers have reportedly become too afraid to leave their homes for work as escalating unrest begins disrupting frontline health services across Northern Ireland. Appointments have already been cancelled, homecare services impacted and staff allegedly stopped by masked men demanding identification, amid growing fears that intimidation targeting ethnic minority communities is now destabilising parts of the health system. The warnings emerged on Wednesday as politicia

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons launch the 'Designing Homes for All' guide at Parliament Buildings. A new housing design guide launched by Stormont ministers could change how homes across Northern Ireland are built and adapted for people living with dementia, autism, learning disabilities and sensory impairments. The joint initiative, unveiled by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt and Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, is designed to help architec

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

Cottage Wood just off Ballybrack Road, Cushendall A woodland on the edge of Cushendall known for its red squirrels, winding paths and sea views is set to become an immersive outdoor heritage attraction after councillors approved plans for a new art and storytelling trail at Cottage Wood. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has backed proposals from Cushendall Development Group to transform parts of the 10-acre woodland into a family-focused heritage experience celebratin

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

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

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

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

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Republic of Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) have issued a major cross-border warning over dangerous drugs circulating ahead of the busy summer festival and concert season, with officials raising serious concerns about high-strength MDMA, ketamine-related harms and the spread of so-called “pink cocaine” across the island of Ireland. Thousands of people are expected to travel north and south for concerts, festivals and nightlife e

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

Hundreds of thousands of people across Northern Ireland could be living with dangerously high blood pressure without realising it — and a free health event coming to Ballymena aims to change that before lives are put at risk. Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) has launched a public awareness campaign highlighting what it describes as the hidden danger of undetected high blood pressure, a condition linked to one in every two heart attacks and strokes. As part of the

Ballycastle beach, County Antrim Northern Ireland’s bathing water system could face its biggest overhaul in years under new proposals that may change how swimming sites are identified, monitored and protected across the country. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a 12-week public consultation examining whether current bathing water rules are still fit for purpose as outdoor swimming surges in popularity and more people use coasta

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

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