Department of Health (Northern Ireland)

DoH's overall aim and mission is to "improve the health and social well-being of the people of Northern Ireland."^[3]

The department launched a new digital strategy in August 2022. It includes the Encompass programme which will create a unified health and care record for the province.^[4]

The Minister, assisted by the department, makes policy and legislation in three broad areas:

• health and social care – hospitals, family practitioner services and community health and personal social services;
• public health – promoting and protecting the health and well-being of the population; and
• public safety – the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (commonly known by its former name, the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade) but not the Police Service of Northern Ireland or HM Coastguard.

Some sensitive health policy issues are reserved to Westminster and are therefore not devolved:^[5]

• human fertilisation and embryology
• human genetics
• surrogacy
• xenotransplantation

In Northern Ireland, abortion law is a criminal justice matter and is devolved.^[6] Since October 2019, abortion has been legal in Northern Ireland, with legal framework coming into effect in March 2020.

DoH's main counterparts in the United Kingdom Government are:

• the Department of Health and Social Care;^[7]
• the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (on fire services)

In the Irish Government, its main counterparts are:

• the Department of Health;^[8]
• the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (on fire services).^[9]

The Health and Social Care system in Northern Ireland consists of the following public bodies:

Northern Ireland-wide

• Health and Social Care Board
• Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust
• Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
• Business Services Organisation
• Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service
• Public Health Agency
• Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority

Sub-regional health and social care trusts

• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• Northern Health and Social Care Trust
• South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
• Southern Health and Social Care Trust
• Western Health and Social Care Trust

Health policy in Northern Ireland was originally a responsibility of local government and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which (similarly to the Home Office) retained responsibility for policy areas not delegated to other ministries.

A separate Ministry of Health and Local Government was established in June 1944, as part of the welfare state. In January 1965, that department was divided between the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

The latter ministry was renamed as the Department of Health and Social Services under direct rule, introduced in March 1972. A health and social services ministry was also included in the Northern Ireland Executive briefly established in 1974. The department was responsible for social security policy and its initials DHSS are still used locally to describe benefits and benefit claimants.

Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and the granting of royal assent to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were established by the United Kingdom Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In December 1999, the Department of Health and Social Services was renamed as the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. It gained responsibility for the Northern Ireland Fire Brigade from the Department of the Environment but ceded social security to the Department for Social Development. DHSSPS was therefore one of the six direct rule Northern Ireland departments to continue in existence following devolution, following the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

A devolved minister took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule ministers from the Northern Ireland Office:

• between 12 February 2000^[10] and 30 May 2000;^[11]
• on 11 August 2001;^[12][13]
• on 22 September 2001;^[14][15]
• between 15 October 2002^[16] and 8 May 2007.^[17]

Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption.

• Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety
• Disability in Northern Ireland