{"id":10953,"date":"2020-04-22T14:30:49","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T14:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/?p=10953"},"modified":"2022-02-27T15:43:50","modified_gmt":"2022-02-27T15:43:50","slug":"the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"http:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-1024x538.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-65x34.png 65w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-150x79.png 150w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-75x39.png 75w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks-76x40.png 76w, https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This article explains how the health system in Northern Ireland is structured, and who is responsible for COVID-19 planning and decision making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>[This article is part of the COVID-19 Information Dissemination (COVID-19 ID) Project\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a partnership between\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdhn.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Community Development and Health Network (CDHN)<\/a>\u00a0and FactCheckNI. Its aim is to improve people\u2019s health literacy about COVID-19 by providing accurate and up-to-date information which will increase knowledge, understanding and confidence and enable people to make good health decisions.]<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a huge amount of collaboration between health bodies around COVID-19 in Northern Ireland. But the division of responsibilities can be understood as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Health policy is devolved to Northern Ireland, but there is a focus on coordination with the wider UK and the Republic of Ireland.<\/li><li>The Northern Ireland Executive is responsible for coordinating the overall response.<\/li><li>The Department of Health sets COVID-19 policy, regulations and health strategy.<\/li><li>The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) commissions services.<\/li><li>The Public Health Authority (PHA) collects information, issues advice and communicates key messages.<\/li><li>Health Trusts manage the day to day running of hospitals, health centres, residential homes and other health and social care facilities. The Northern Ambulance Service is also a Trust.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The health system in Northern Ireland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Health Service (NHS) in Northern Ireland is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.belfasttrust.hscni.net\/about\/Understanding-Health-Service-Structure.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">referred to<\/a> as <a href=\"http:\/\/online.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland<\/a>, or HSC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/profiles\/minister-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minister of Health<\/a> is Robin Swann MLA and his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department of Health<\/a> (DoH) is one of nine departments in the devolved Northern Ireland Executive. It is responsible for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/about-department-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">policy and legislation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DoH has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/dhssps-permanent-secretary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Permanent Secretary<\/a>, several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/doh-management-and-structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Officers<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Health Agency<\/a> (PHA). The PHA is responsible for <a href=\"http:\/\/online.hscni.net\/home\/hsc-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">planning and professional advice<\/a> on health and social care in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hscboard.hscni.net\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health and Social Care Board<\/a> (HSCB) is the body in charge of commissioning health and social services in Northern Ireland. It <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hscboard.hscni.net\/our-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deploys and manages<\/a> money from the Department of Health, and oversees the work of six <a href=\"http:\/\/online.hscni.net\/hospitals\/health-and-social-care-trusts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health Trusts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health Trusts <a href=\"http:\/\/online.hscni.net\/hospitals\/health-and-social-care-trusts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">are responsible for<\/a> the day to day running of hospitals, health centres, residential homes, day centres, other health and social care facilities: the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.northerntrust.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Northern Trust<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.setrust.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">South Eastern Trust<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.southerntrust.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Southern Trust<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.westerntrust.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Western Trust<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.belfasttrust.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belfast Trust<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nias.hscni.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Northern Ireland Ambulance Service Trust<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Devolution and health systems in the UK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The UK has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/LSEHealthAndSocialCare\/pdf\/eurohealth\/VOL14No4\/Greer.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four health systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health policy has been devolved to the executives and governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while the central UK government is responsible for the health system in England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since devolution in the late 1990s, the four health systems have diverged significantly. Health and social care are provided as an integrated service in <a href=\"http:\/\/online.hscni.net\/home\/hsc-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Northern Ireland<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/policies\/social-care\/health-and-social-care-integration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scotland<\/a>, whereas in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcplondon.ac.uk\/file\/9762\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">England<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/law.gov.wales\/publicservices\/social-care\/#\/publicservices\/social-care\/?tab=overview&amp;lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Wales<\/a>, social care is provided by local authorities. There is more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk\/files\/2017-01\/4-countries-report-web-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">private sector involvement<\/a> in England than in the other nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who is responsible for decisions with regard to COVID-19 in Northern Ireland?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Institute of Government has a useful explainer on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/explainers\/coronavirus-and-devolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID-19 and devolution<\/a>. They underline that while most public services impacted by the pandemic are the responsibility of respective devolved administrations (e.g. health and education), there is a strong emphasis on regional coordination across the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Northern Ireland, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Executive Office<\/a> has overall responsibility to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/health\/URGENT-ORAL-STATEMENT-Coronavirus-9-3-2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ensure a coordinated response<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emergency UK-wide COBRA meetings are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk\/news\/health\/coronavirus\/plans-ready-for-escalation-39030803.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">attended by<\/a> the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, the Health Minister and other Ministers where relevant. Northern Ireland Executive Ministers are also in close contact with their counterparts in the Irish Government, both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsletter.co.uk\/health\/northern-ireland-be-part-uk-battle-plan-deal-coronavirus-2005330\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">informally<\/a> and through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/meeting-irish-government-and-northern-ireland-executive-ministers-concerning-north-south-cooperation-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">North-South Ministerial Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Department of Health (DoH) sets policy and regulations for COVID-19 in Northern Ireland. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DoH sets COVID-19 testing policy. It is responsible for The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/publications\/health-protection-coronavirus-restrictions-northern-ireland-regulations-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020<\/a>. While many Northern Ireland regulations are coordinated with the wider UK, the DoH issues Northern Ireland-specific advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DoH works with other Executive Departments, for example with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.finance-ni.gov.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Department of Finance<\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/executive-committed-securing-ppe-frontline-workers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sourcing PPE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/879221\/Coronavirus__COVID-19__-_personal_protective_equipment__PPE__plan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four nations PPE oversight board<\/a>, each devolved administration <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/879221\/Coronavirus__COVID-19__-_personal_protective_equipment__PPE__plan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has their own supply chain operation<\/a> and is responsible for distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The DoH also leads on COVID-19 strategic organisation. For example, it set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/dedicated-northern-ireland-covid-19-app-launched\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">COVID-19 information app<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/launch-online-version-covid-19-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a>, launched an HSC workforce appeal, and oversaw the establishment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/city-hospital-be-northern-irelands-first-nightingale-hospital\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Belfast&#8217;s first Nightingale Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) from the DoH work with their UK counterparts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/explainers\/coronavirus-and-devolution\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to provide coordinated advice<\/a> across the four regions. CMOs from Northern Ireland and Ireland are also in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/news\/ireland\/irish-news\/dublin-and-stormont-arrive-at-united-front-to-tackle-covid-19-1.4208051\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">regular contact<\/a> and have developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/ministers-health-agree-memorandum-understanding-between-irish-government-and-northern-ireland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Memorandum of Understanding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Public Health Agency (PHA) gathers information and communicates advice about COVID-19 in Northern Ireland. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PHA is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/news\/covid-19-what-situation-northern-ireland\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">responsible for monitoring<\/a> COVID-19 trends. It publishes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/publications\/covid-19-surveillance-reports\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">daily surveillance bulletins<\/a> with information on testing, numbers of confirmed cases and COVID-19 positive deaths. It has undertaken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/latest-update-coronavirus-covid-19-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contact tracing<\/a>. It also monitors the impact of public health measures to reduce virus transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PHA sends out public health messages such as <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/StayAtHomeSaveLives?src=hashtag_click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#StayAtHomeSaveLives<\/a>. It also issues wider general health advice during the pandemic, regarding for example <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ni-maternity.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pregnant people<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/news\/free-online-stress-control-classes-available-monday-13th-april\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stress<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/news\/seek-urgent-help-if-your-child-becomes-unwell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sick children<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/news\/preventing-accidents-while-staying-home-will-help-our-health-service\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">household accidents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The Health and Social Care Board commissions services, and plays a logistical and coordinating role.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the HSCB has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hscboard.hscni.net\/independent-hospitals-arrangements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">made arrangements with independent hospitals<\/a> to treat non-COVID-19 patients and has helped <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hscboard.hscni.net\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GPs, pharmacists, dentists and optometrists<\/a> to restructure services. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/health\/URGENT-ORAL-STATEMENT-Coronavirus-9-3-2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HSCB also liaises with<\/a> counterparts in the Health Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland to make the best use of collective resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Health Trusts ensure service delivery on the ground.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trusts are focusing on service delivery throughout the pandemic, from social work through to medical care. With regard to COVID-19, Health Trusts, for example, worked with the DoH to reconfigure hospital provision. They recruit staff, in conjunction with the DoH&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hscworkforceappeal.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HSE workforce appeal<\/a>. They have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nidirect.gov.uk\/articles\/coronavirus-covid-19-information-health-services#toc-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">worked with the PHA<\/a> to establish testing centres for healthcare staff in the SSE Arena car park and some MOT centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trusts deliver social care in nursing and residential homes as well as domiciliary care, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.hscni.net\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-03\/GUIDANCE%20FOR%20RESIDENTIAL%20CARE%20PROVIDERS%20-%20COVID19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">adapting services for COVID-19<\/a>. They also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk\/news\/health\/coronavirus\/familys-heartache-as-belfast-care-home-resident-magdalene-mitchell-dies-after-contracting-coronavirus-39075301.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">work with<\/a> the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ihcp.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">independent care sector<\/a> to ensure appropriate COVID-19 measures are in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pandemic has seen Trusts play additional emergency roles, for example the South Eastern Trust established a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health-ni.gov.uk\/news\/health-minister-welcomes-local-ingenuity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PPE delivery service for domiciliary care workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>FactCheckNI is Northern Ireland\u2019s first and only dedicated independent fact-checking service and a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org\/profile\/factcheckni\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">verified signatory<\/a>&nbsp;to the International Fact-Checking Network\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.poynter.org\/ifcn-fact-checkers-code-of-principles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Code of Principles<\/a>. You can learn more about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">about FactCheckNI<\/a>, our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/about\/personnel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personnel<\/a>, what our article&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/blog\/for-your-consideration-factcheckni-verdict-ratings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">verdicts<\/a>&nbsp;mean, and how to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/claims\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">submit a claim<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article explains how the health system in Northern Ireland is structured, and who is responsible for COVID-19 planning and decision making. [This article is part of the COVID-19 Information Dissemination (COVID-19 ID) Project\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a partnership between\u00a0Community Development and Health Network (CDHN)\u00a0and FactCheckNI. Its aim is to improve people\u2019s health literacy about COVID-19 by providing accurate&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,30],"tags":[216,205],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This article explains how the health system in Northern Ireland is structured, and who is responsible for COVID-19 planning and decision making. [This article is part of the COVID-19 Information Dissemination (COVID-19 ID) Project\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a partnership between\u00a0Community Development and Health Network (CDHN)\u00a0and FactCheckNI. Its aim is to improve people\u2019s health literacy about COVID-19 by providing accurate...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FactCheckNI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/factcheckni\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"FactCheckNI\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FactCheckNI\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@FactCheckNI\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"FactCheckNI\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"FactCheckNI\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/85d1ea0fa0159339bdadca79e73ec7fa\"},\"headline\":\"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\"},\"wordCount\":1111,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png\",\"keywords\":[\"@CDHN_NI\",\"COVID-19\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Explainer\",\"Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\",\"name\":\"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/\",\"name\":\"FactCheckNI\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"FactCheckNI\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Logo-FactCheckNI-JPG-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Logo-FactCheckNI-JPG-1.jpg\",\"width\":1472,\"height\":361,\"caption\":\"FactCheckNI\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/factcheckni\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/FactCheckNI\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/factcheckni_\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/factcheckni\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/85d1ea0fa0159339bdadca79e73ec7fa\",\"name\":\"FactCheckNI\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32bb816d3f7c31c3cbc856bd695b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32bb816d3f7c31c3cbc856bd695b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"FactCheckNI\"},\"description\":\"Northern Ireland's first and only dedicated fact checking service.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/factcheckni.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/author\/factcheckni\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI","og_description":"This article explains how the health system in Northern Ireland is structured, and who is responsible for COVID-19 planning and decision making. [This article is part of the COVID-19 Information Dissemination (COVID-19 ID) Project\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a partnership between\u00a0Community Development and Health Network (CDHN)\u00a0and FactCheckNI. Its aim is to improve people\u2019s health literacy about COVID-19 by providing accurate...","og_url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/","og_site_name":"FactCheckNI","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/factcheckni","article_published_time":"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"FactCheckNI","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@FactCheckNI","twitter_site":"@FactCheckNI","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"FactCheckNI","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/"},"author":{"name":"FactCheckNI","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/85d1ea0fa0159339bdadca79e73ec7fa"},"headline":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19?","datePublished":"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/"},"wordCount":1111,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png","keywords":["@CDHN_NI","COVID-19"],"articleSection":["Explainer","Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/","url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/","name":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19? - FactCheckNI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png","datePublished":"2020-04-22T14:30:49+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-27T15:43:50+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/terminations-20-weeks.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/topics\/health\/the-health-system-in-northern-ireland-how-is-it-structured-and-who-makes-decisions-about-covid-19\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The health system in Northern Ireland: How is it structured and who makes decisions about COVID-19?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/","name":"FactCheckNI","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#organization","name":"FactCheckNI","url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Logo-FactCheckNI-JPG-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Logo-FactCheckNI-JPG-1.jpg","width":1472,"height":361,"caption":"FactCheckNI"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/factcheckni","https:\/\/x.com\/FactCheckNI","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/factcheckni_","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/factcheckni"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/85d1ea0fa0159339bdadca79e73ec7fa","name":"FactCheckNI","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32bb816d3f7c31c3cbc856bd695b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4dd32bb816d3f7c31c3cbc856bd695b0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"FactCheckNI"},"description":"Northern Ireland's first and only dedicated fact checking service.","sameAs":["http:\/\/factcheckni.org"],"url":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/author\/factcheckni\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10953"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22370,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10953\/revisions\/22370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}