Department of Health

Speaking under the TikTok handle ‘TheMixedHerd’, the poster brands herself as ‘NHS nurse whistleblowing on toxic management culture’.

Belfast Trust defends bullying record as nurse brands it 'modern day cult'

Marc McKee, founder of Renatus Collective Group, said: "We've commissioned this research so that patients' experiences are heard based on real UK evidence”

Major study launched to uncover the reality of significant weight loss

A funding boost of £40m agreed as part of a deal with GPs should make it easier to get appointments, the Health Minister says. Photo: Lightfield Studios - stock.adobe.com

New deal with GPs should make it easier to get appointments: Health Minister

Inpatient maternity services will now be moved from Newry to Craigavon from 23 November due to a shortage of consultants.

Legal action begins to halt Daisy Hill maternity move

Almost 72% of cancer patients are not beginning treatment by the two month deadline after an urgent GP referral - and figures have dipped this quarter, according to the Department of Health.

Almost 72% of cancer patients not getting treatment by two month deadline

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) marked the beginning of construction on a new Fire Station in Cushendall with an official sod-cutting ceremony. Pictured are Joe Smyth, Department of Health, Brendan McAllister, NIFRS Watch Commander, Seamus and Sean Woulahan, Seaview Developments and Aidan Jennings, NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer

Magherafelt family-run construction firm starts new £1.8m NI fire station

Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry

Plan could see no babies born at Daisy Hill Hospital

Some 1,400 people contact the Department of Health every year seeking help to access emergency dental treatment, it has been revealed.

Dental care crisis: 1,400 people ask Department for emergency help each year

A major trade union and political parties across the spectrum have expressed concern that proposed cuts for the health service will impact on staff and patient safety.

Trade union and parties express 'real fear' over scale of health cuts

Health chiefs target 12% savings to tackle £2 million daily overspend

Robbie Butler has taken up the reins of the Department of Health from Mike Nesbitt

New health minister 'wants to give nurses a raise but Executive has to say yes'

Northern Trust runs Causeway Hospital at Coleraine.

Shifting Causeway service to Antrim ‘clinically and operationally appropriate’

Breaking Robbie Butler set to be appointed Stormont’s health minister

Morning View

Editorial: Health service pushes on with drive to cut waste

Pictured at the Breastfeeding Action Plan launch at Stormont are, Jennifer Hanratty (Breastival chair), Laura Orr (Breastival deputy chair), Health Minister Mike Nesbitt, Claire Flynn (Breastival board member), Deborah Rice (Breastival board member), Abi Sharpe (Breastival volunteer)

New plan aims to break breastfeeding barriers

The City Hospital in Belfast – a report says 40% of health estate buildings are not compliant with regulations

Massive bill to fix ailing health estate
The maintenance backlog in Northern Ireland’s health estate has grown to more than £1.6 billion, an Audit Office report has found.
Jonathan McCambridge

The High Court in Belfast.

No discrimination in male couple fertility treatment funding refusal

Northern Ireland’s Comptroller and Auditor General Dorinnia Carville says nurses are leaving the NHS due to pressures of work, not feeling valued, and wanting more pay - with many opting to work for agencies instead.

Spending on nursing agencies trebles to £162m in six years

It said the heath minister has identified additional one-off funding to help alleviate the immediate crisis that hospices are facing - £1.1m for adult services and £500,000 for the Children’s Hospice, the only one of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Welome of £1.6m for adult and children hospice services in Northern Ireland

Doctors in Northern Ireland's hospitals will walk out in June unless a pay deal is agreed with Stormont. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Hospital doctors planning two days of strike amid pay dispute with Stormont

Underfunding risks seriously undermining access to high quality palliative and end of life care

Letter: Hospice sector is concerned over lack of investment

In 2024/25, neglect and physical abuse were the main reasons for a child being on the Child Protection Register in NI (84%)

Letter: Time to end physical punishment of children

Justice Minister Naomi Long meeting PSNI officers at Lurgan police station, after an attempted dissident bombing in April. Photo: Matt Mackey/PA Wire

Alliance quizzed on what services it would cut to fund more justice spending

DUP MLA Diane Dodds.

Rising tariffs in Republic limits cross-border health scheme applications

The former Kincora building on the Upper Newtonards Road in Belfast.

Former Kincora resident awarded “significant six-figure sum” in damages

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed with the Northern Ireland Department of Health, the Department for the Economy and the Health Innovation Research Alliance NI (HIRANI) aimed at transforming healthcare delivery and improving health outcomes for the people of Northern Ireland

AstraZeneca signs 'landmark partnership' to transform healthcare in NI

Ambulances at the Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast.

Doctors: Stormont must fix 'catastrophe' in Emergency Departments
Stormont has been urged to address the “catastrophe” unfolding in Northern Ireland’s hospital emergency departments (EDs).
By Rebecca Black, Press Association

MLAs told a recalled Assembly that the U-turn on the withdrawal of summer schemes was emblematic of 'Executive chaos'

Givan and Nesbitt apologise to families over summer scheme U-turn ‘distress’

Education Minister Paul Givan said some politicians were looking to “exploit” the issue and accused Sinn Fein of “using children to pursue their vendetta” against Israel and Donald Trump.

MLAs hit out at ‘Executive chaos’ after U-turn on special school summer schemes

Mike Farrer, permanent secretary at the Department of Health in Northern Ireland speaks to media about the budget at the department's headquarters at Castle Buildings in the Stormont estate (Rebecca Black/PA Wire)

Major health service reset 'will be more difficult without a multi-year budget'

Special school summer schemes will go ahead this year after public and political backlash to the announcement made earlier this week.

Special school summer schemes will go ahead following backlash

Education Minister Paul Givan has confirmed he has asked for a decision to cancel summer schemes at special schools in Northern Ireland to be revisited.

Givan asks for cancellation of special school summer schemes to be ‘revisited’

Students receiving vaccines and antibiotics from medical staff in the sports hall at the University of Kent campus in Canterbury, as the number of cases of meningitis linked to an outbreak in Kent has dropped as a campaign to vaccinate thousands of young people continued into a fourth day.

Nesbitt's reassurance that Kent meningitis may be contained

Northern Ireland’s health system has not got the balance right between community and hospital care, Mike Nesbitt has said.

N health system ‘out of kilter’ and needs better community care – Nesbitt

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt told MLAs he is looking at contingency plans to facilitate the summer schemes.

Minister looking at ‘contingency plans’ for special school summer scheme

The Education Authority said it had attempted to avoid the move through repeated engagement with the Department of Health.

Summer schemes at special schools called off

Care workers are leaving their jobs for easier work, it is claimed

‘Domiciliary care workers quit as Department finance wanes’

Mike Nesbitt's officials have now confirmed the prescription of controversial drugs was stopped in Northern Ireland last month. Photo credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

NI stopped prescribing controversial hormones to teens last month

Mike Nesbitt's health ministry has dodged questions about whether it will follow an NHS England trans drug ban. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Nesbitt urged to give 'clear answers' on latest NHS trans drugs ban

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt is set to defer free hospital car parking - saying the money could be better spent on services. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

'Honesty needed' from politicians as Minister set to defer free hospital parking

Edwin Poots says he had no role whatsoever in the establishment of a gender service. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Letters show Edwin Poots knew of trans clinic when health minister

UUP leader Jon Burrows (left) with health minister Mike Nesbitt. Mr Burrows has previously warned against medical interventions on children with gender issues. Photo Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Nesbitt pauses NI involvement in controversial UK puberty blocker trial

In a statement, Mike Nesbitt said: “Having taken account of the ongoing Judicial Review into the UK Government’s clinical trial of puberty blockers, I have decided to suspend Northern Ireland's agreement to participate in the UK wide trial until the legal process has concluded.

Health minister suspends NI participation in UK-wide puberty blocker trial

UUP leader Jon Burrows (left) has previously warned against medical interventions on children with gender issues. Photo Liam McBurney/PA Wire

UUP says puberty blocker trial necessary to secure wider ban on the drugs

Public accounts committee chair Daniel McCrossan has slammed health officials over a report on access to GPs in NI.

'Are they going to Mars to find the plan?' - MLAs slams GP report response

Trans rights activists support access to puberty blocking drugs for children - what they call 'gender affirming care'. Photo: Lesley Martin/PA Wire

Children aren’t 'test subjects' for controversial trans drugs trial - MLA

Finance Minister John O'Dowd signed off Mike Nesbitt's proposal for a back-dated pay hike for health trust chiefs. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Sinn Fein ministry defends approving pay hike for NI health chiefs

Baroness Hilary Cass conducted a review of Northern Ireland's gender identity services last year, which has now been published by Stormont's health department.

Baroness Cass reports on Mike Nesbitt's all-ages gender clinic

An man puts an Aspirin tablet into his mouth. Community pharmacies have warned that 100 medicines including aspirin are in short supply for NI.

'Fundamental risk to NI medicines - over 100 in short supply'

Northern Ireland Health Minister Mike Nesbitt at the Parliament Buildings, Stormont, for the launch of a cross-party inquiry to examine how suicide prevention services are funded in Northern Ireland. The Inquiry will explore how investment in suicide prevention could be shared more effectively across government departments including Health, Communities, Justice, Education and the Economy

Mike Nesbitt says ministers will ‘get a lot more focused’ on suicide prevention

Health services in Northern Ireland faced "difficult problems" in 2005, with a senior civil servant warning that the pressures will "become even more acute over the coming years". However, the author of a health review was also told that there was "strong political and public attachment to the NHS model" in the region and that it had provided an "impartial community resource" throughout the Troubles. Issue date:

NI health service problems would become more acute, official warned in 2005

Professor Maria McIlgorm has been made an OBE in the New Year Honours list for services to nursing and midwifery. Photo: NI Department of Health/PA Wire

Northern Ireland’s chief nursing officer made OBE

Mr Dorrian said the breakdown of the expertise required is quite startling and requires a lot more clarification and justification.

Tony Dorrian Workers Party Representative has called on the Department of Health...

Figures obtained by the News Letter show that consultant staffing in A&Es drops significantly at weekends. Pic: SEHSCT

Concern over weekend staffing 'collapse' at NI's emergency departments

UUP health minister Mike Nesbitt.

Nesbitt warns against 'staying in hospital longer than you need'

News you can trust since 1737

© 2026 Iconic Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved.Terms and Conditions Privacy notice