Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has welcomed the recruitment of up to 26 new Emergency Medicine Consultants set to take up posts in hospitals across Northern Ireland.

This initiative is the result of collaborative efforts between the Department of Health, Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts, and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), aimed at ensuring employment pathways for newly qualified specialists within the HSC.

The funding for these new positions comes from a reduction in spending on locum doctors in Emergency Departments, a significant cost previously incurred by the health service. While some new consultants are already in post, others are progressing through recruitment processes, with all 26 expected to be deployed across the five geographic Health and Social Care Trusts by the end of this year, based on clinical and staffing needs.

Minister Nesbitt acknowledged the "very significant pressures on our hospital Emergency Departments" and reiterated his commitment to alleviating these. He noted the incongruity of training specialist doctors only for them to find no vacancies, while £30 million annually was spent on locum cover. Professor Lourda Geoghegan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, welcomed the early reports of reduced locum spending and the added benefit of increased senior decision-making in EDs. Dr Russell McLaughlin, Vice President for RCEM Northern Ireland, thanked the Minister for addressing the critical shortage, which their census revealed to be at only half the recommended number of consultants. Dr Andrew Dobbin, Clinical Director of Unscheduled Care in the South Eastern HSC Trust, highlighted the recruitment of five new consultants in his Trust and their positive impact on patient care and waiting times.