NEWS

Hannah Buchanan, Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist Blood cancer can affect people of all ages and its symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for other illnesses, prompting the Northern Health and Social Care Trust to urge people to know the warning signs and seek medical advice if something does not feel right. September marks Blood Cancer Awareness Month, with health professionals using the campaign to highlight symptoms including unusual bruising or bleeding, extreme tire

The Northern Trust has agreed £50 million of savings and confirmed it is now working to wind down Phone First — but says much of the detail showing what its wider financial plan will mean for patients and frontline staff is still being worked through. Love Ballymena put 12 detailed questions to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust after examining its 2026/27 Savings Plan, seeking clarity on a 23% reduction in winter planning funding, a targeted 25% reduction in enhanced

Antrim Area Hospital Monday 31 August 2026 The Northern Trust is preparing to reduce winter-pressure funding by 23%, target a 25% reduction in enhanced patient observation hours, move selected surgery between hospitals and seek the closure of Phone First as it attempts to make £50 million of savings this year. Millions more are being targeted through reductions in agency and locum spending, tighter controls on vacant posts, changes involving care-home costs and almost £600,00

Rebecca Scott completed the Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Business at Northern Regional College’s Magherafelt campus before progressing to Ulster University in Belfast. A Magherafelt student has graduated with First-Class Honours in Accountancy and secured a training contract with professional services firm RSM UK, three years after completing a vocational Business qualification at Northern Regional College. Rebecca Scott completed the Level 3 National Extended Diploma

A car stolen after a house was broken into in Bellaghy was reportedly driven dangerously before crashing into a field and later being found abandoned in the early hours of Sunday morning. Detectives are appealing for witnesses and footage as they investigate the burglary and vehicle theft, which unfolded in the Mullaghboy Road area on Sunday 9 August. Police received the first report at approximately 2am, after the vehicle was seen being driven dangerously on Mullaghboy Road.

Maeve Owens while studying at MSU took the opportunity to travel to Chicago A student from Magherafelt has described her four-month study experience in the United States as “the best thing I’ve ever done” after returning home from a life-changing exchange programme at one of America’s biggest universities. Maeve Owens, who studies BSc (Hons) Food Business Management at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), recently completed a semester abroad at Michi

Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer for Fibrus Group with Ronan Conlon, Founder of FitMinds Coach, and FitMinds programme participants. Children of all abilities across Northern Ireland are set to take part in a major programme of inclusive summer activity camps after FitMinds Coach announced plans to welcome more than 1,000 young children to sessions across 20 locations this summer. The one-day camps, designed for children aged three to six, will run throughout July and Au

Cancer services in Northern Ireland remained under intense strain at the end of 2025, with the latest Department of Health figures showing that almost all key waiting time targets continued to be missed despite an increase in the number of patients beginning treatment and a sharp rise in breast cancer assessments. The newly published Accredited Official Statistics cover the quarter ending December 2025 and set out waiting times for patients accessing cancer services at hospit

An action plan is set to be implemented by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust at Whiteabbey Hospital by the end of next month in a bid to improve theatre efficiency. Trust board members were presented with a report on theatre performance at the end of February, which showed that performance in the Trust’s “peripheral” hospitals — Whiteabbey and Mid Ulster — is below target in terms of both operating and run times. Operating times refer to the time spent on each patient

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

Hollybank staff members Darren Mitchell and Kellie Grant. Hollybank Supported Living in Magherafelt is recruiting additional Band 3 support workers, as the Northern Health and Social Care Trust encourages people to consider a career in social care supporting adults with learning disabilities. Recruitment open days will take place in March, with applications now open online. The Trust is seeking staff to work across supported living and short breaks services at Hollybank, offe

(L-R) Neil Irwin, Philanthropy Manager, Haemochromatosis UK and James Hagan, Founder of Hagan Homes. Thousands of households across Northern Ireland are to be offered free genetic screening for haemochromatosis, the region’s most common inherited condition, as part of a major early-detection initiative launching in January 2026. The programme, delivered by Haemochromatosis UK and supported by Hagan Homes and other donors, will offer up to 23,500 households in selected postco

Staff, community partners, service users and family members pictured at a celebration event marking 20 years of Day Opportunities in the Northern Trust. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust’s Adult Community Learning Disability Team (ACLDT) is marking two decades of shared progress, partnership and positive change through its Day Opportunities service — a milestone that reflects how support for adults with learning disabilities has evolved to place choice, independence a

Police in Magherafelt have issued a public appeal for assistance in identifying the body of a man found in the Diamond area of the town earlier today, Sunday 14th December. Officers were alerted to the discovery during the morning, prompting an immediate investigation. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has confirmed that the man is believed to have died within the past 24 hours and that his death is not being treated as suspicious at this time. Inspector Knipe has

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust is now looking for new Community Health and Wellbeing Champions to join its volunteer community. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has launched a new volunteer drive, appealing to members of the public with a passion for improving health outcomes in their local communities. The Trust is now seeking Community Health and Wellbeing Champions who will work alongside staff to help share information, services and resources aimed at

Dr Emily McIntosh, a Care of the Elderly Consultant based at the Causeway Hospital With flu-related hospital attendances already rising, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust is calling on the public to take simple steps to protect themselves and help reduce growing pressure on local health services this winter. Dr Emily McIntosh, a Care of the Elderly Consultant at Causeway Hospital , said the Trust is seeing a concerning spike in flu cases far earlier in the season. “We

Police have confirmed that a man has died following a single-vehicle road traffic collision in Magherafelt on Thursday evening, 6 November. Chief Inspector Celeste Simpson from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Collision Investigation Unit said: “Police received a report shortly after 5.50pm of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian in the Grange Road area. “Our officers attended, supported by colleagues from partner emergency services. However, sadly, the pedest

Convicted: Cathan Quinn A man from Magherafelt has been sentenced to two years and two months for the online blackmail of two female victims involving intimate images. Twenty-nine-year-old Cathan Quinn appeared before Dungannon Crown Court on Monday, 4 November, where he was told he will serve half his sentence in custody and half on licence. He has also been made subject to a five-year restraining order for each victim. Detective Inspector Ryan said: “In early 2021, Cathan

Concerns about fake references being submitted for agency healthcare workers were brought before the Northern Health and Social Care Trust board following an alert earlier this year. During the most recent Trust board meeting, Paul Turley, a non-executive director , told members that fraudulent references had been submitted for agency posts, with a “small number specific to the Northern Trust”. According to the meeting minutes, the Procurement and Logistics Service (PaLS) — w

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has announced a series of special events to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week 2025, offering...