Department of Health (Northern Ireland) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Department of Health
Department overview

Formed	June 1944 (as Ministry of Health and Local Government)
Preceding Department	Ministry of Home Affairs
Jurisdiction	Northern Ireland
Headquarters	Castle Buildings, Stormont Estate, Belfast, BT4 3SJ
Employees	731 (September 2011)
Annual budget	£4,383.1 million (current) & £200.5 million (capital) for 2011–12
Minister responsible	Vacant
Website	www.health-ni.gov.uk

The Department of Health (DoH) is a government department in Northern Ireland. It is part of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is the government that runs Northern Ireland. The main person in charge of the department is called the Minister of Health.

Before May 9, 2016, this department was known as the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

What Does the Department of Health Do?
- Key Responsibilities of the DoH
- Who Does the DoH Work With?
Organisations That Help with Health and Social Care
- Organisations Across Northern Ireland
- Local Health and Social Care Trusts
History of the Department of Health
Ministers of Health
- Ministers During Suspended Government
Images for kids
See Also

What Does the Department of Health Do?

The main goal of the Department of Health is to make sure people in Northern Ireland are healthy and have good social well-being. They work to improve everyone's health.

In August 2022, the department started a new plan to use more digital tools. One important part of this plan is called the Encompass programme. This programme will create one single health and care record for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Key Responsibilities of the DoH

The Minister of Health, with help from the department, creates rules and laws in three main areas:

Health and Social Care: This includes hospitals, family doctors, and community health services. It also covers personal social services that help people in their daily lives.
Public Health: This involves promoting good health and protecting people from illnesses. It's about keeping the whole population healthy.
Public Safety: The department is responsible for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. This is the fire brigade that helps keep people safe from fires. However, they are not in charge of the police or the coastguard.

Some health topics are handled by the UK Parliament in Westminster, not by the Northern Ireland government. These include things like human fertilisation, genetics, and surrogacy.

Who Does the DoH Work With?

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland works closely with similar departments in other governments:

In the United Kingdom Government, their main partners are the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government (for fire services).
In the Irish Government, they work with the Department of Health and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (for fire services).

Organisations That Help with Health and Social Care

The Health and Social Care system in Northern Ireland includes many public organisations. These groups help the Department of Health provide services.

Organisations Across Northern Ireland

These organisations work for everyone in Northern Ireland:

Health and Social Care Board
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Health and Social Care Trust (they provide ambulances)
Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (they collect blood donations)
Business Services Organisation
Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (the fire brigade)
Public Health Agency (they focus on preventing illness)
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (they check that services are good)

Local Health and Social Care Trusts

Northern Ireland is divided into different areas, and each area has its own health and social care trust. These trusts manage local hospitals and services:

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

History of the Department of Health

Looking back, health policy in Northern Ireland was first handled by local councils and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In June 1944, a new department was created called the Ministry of Health and Local Government. This happened as part of the creation of the welfare state, which aimed to provide better services for everyone. In 1965, this department split into two. One part became the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

When Northern Ireland was under direct rule from the UK government in March 1972, this ministry was renamed the Department of Health and Social Services. This department was also in charge of social security, which deals with benefits. That's why its old initials, DHSS, are still sometimes used when talking about benefits.

After the Belfast Agreement in 1998, a new Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were set up. In December 1999, the Department of Health and Social Services changed its name to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. It took over responsibility for the fire brigade but gave its social security duties to another department.

A local minister took charge of the department on December 2, 1999. However, there were times when the Northern Ireland government was paused, and the department was run by UK ministers. This happened for four periods, including between October 2002 and May 2007. Since May 8, 2007, the Northern Ireland government has been working without interruption.

Ministers of Health

Here are some of the people who have been in charge of the Department of Health in Northern Ireland:

	Minister	Party	Took office	Left office
	Bairbre de Brún	Sinn Féin	29 November 1999	11 February 2000
Office suspended
	Bairbre de Brún	Sinn Féin	30 May 2000	14 October 2002
Office suspended
	Michael McGimpsey	UUP	14 May 2007	5 May 2011
	Edwin Poots	DUP	16 May 2011	23 September 2014
	Jim Wells	DUP	24 September 2014	11 May 2015
	Simon Hamilton	DUP	11 May 2015	30 March 2016
Office renamed Minister of Health
	Michelle O'Neill	Sinn Féin	25 May 2016	2 March 2017
Office suspended
	Robin Swann	UUP	11 January 2020	27 October 2022

Ministers During Suspended Government

When the Northern Ireland government was paused, these ministers from the Northern Ireland Office (part of the UK government) were in charge of the department: