Reinstating Northlands funding would 'not be appropriate' says Department of Health

The Department (DoH) has also pointed to a recent review which did not recommend a new dedicated Treatment and Recovery Centre for the north west when asked if a business case was ever submitted to the UK government to unlock the £1m pledged by the latter to Northlands back in 2022 towards such a facility.

The DoH confirmed that Northlands received £63,214.88 of Core Grant funding in 2024/25.

When asked about the rationale for not allocating funding this year, a DOH spokesperson said: “The Minister asked the NI Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) to facilitate a redesign of the Core Grant scheme for 2025/26, given it had remained unchanged for 20 years.

"The scheme was launched in November, along with confirmation that the budget would be £1.8m. With 259 bids totalling more than £13m being submitted to the Department, demand massively outstripped the available funding.

“It was the voluntary and community sector that drew up the criteria for successful applications. The general standard of applications was incredibly high, and the selection of 25 high scoring applications to stage 2 of the assessment process was based solely on the agreed scoring criteria rather than a departmental determination of the value of the applicants.

"The scoring criteria can be found in the Guidance for applicants, available on the Department’s website.

“It would not be appropriate to reverse funding decisions that were based on the merit of applications submitted and assessed.”

The Department said The Northlands Centre has now been provided with their feedback, adding: “This will hopefully be of assistance when applying for future funding rounds.”

"The Minister is expected to issue another call for applications this Autumn for 2026/27 funding,” the spokesperson said, adding that Minister Mike Nesbitt was keen to review this year’s outcomes “to determine what further adjustments might be made to further improve the process”.

Back in 2022, the UK government in London pledged to commit £1m towards a new Northlands Centre of Excellence Addiction Treatment Centre, which was described by local representatives at the time as a “beacon of hope”. This funding however was contingent by Stormont health officials submitting a business case to the UK government.

When asked if this was done, the DOH spokesperson responded: “It is the intention that the Substance Use Commissioning & Implementation Plan, launched in November last year, and the associated recommendations from the recent Independent Review of Tier 4 Detoxification & Residential Rehabilitation Services, will inform all future funding decisions around substance use related services, subject to additional funding being made available.

“While analysis is still underway, early indications from the recent public consultation on the Tier 4 review, show a high response rate from the North West, and a strong agreement with all 20 recommendations. Alongside this, the recently published Western Needs Assessment Report, provides a comprehensive understanding of the specific challenges experienced within the WHSCT area relating to substance use.

“It is important to note that the Tier 4 review does not recommend that a new dedicated Treatment and Recovery Centre is developed in the North West, but instead that joined up working is improved and that better pathways are developed between existing services across the region, including the North West.

"Such services include: Community Detoxification Services, Community Addiction Teams, Community Mental Health Teams, early intervention and prevention services and Primary care, In-Patient Detoxification services and Residential Rehabilitation.”

“Each of these pieces of work will be used to inform proposals for the potential commitment from the UK Government in Annex A of New Decade, New Approach.”

Senior politicians in Derry meanwhile have expressed dismay over decisions being made in relation to Northlands.

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood stated: "The decision to withdraw core funding from Northlands is shocking. The team here is one of the most dedicated providers of healthcare in any setting anywhere on these islands. Their work, undertaken as a voluntary organisation, supports people suffering from addiction at the lowest points in their lives who have often been left behind or fallen through the cracks of other health services. They are life savers and the way they have been treated, the way they have been referred to, is beneath contempt.

"It is even more outrageous because the Department of Health and the Executive have failed to maximise the opportunity to support Northlands for years. There is a guarantee in the New Decade New Approach agreement from the British Government to provide funding to realise Northlands’ plans to deliver the most exceptional addiction treatment centre on these islands. I insisted on it and successive Secretaries of State have made clear that they are prepared to provide £1m to achieve the ambitions that the team at Northlands have set out - it just needs the Executive to play their part. "I have no doubt that the team will continue serving the people of Derry and the North West but it’s time that promises were kept. I’ve raised this decision with the Health Minister and submitted questions to the Secretary of State. This is beyond politics in our city and it needs to be addressed."

Foyle MLA Ciara Ferguson said the loss of core funding for Northlands has caused shock and worry, and has urged Mr Nesbitt to consider how to support the Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre.

She made the call as a Sinn Féin delegation prepared to meet with Northlands staff. She said: “The loss of core funding from the Department of Health has caused a great deal of shock and worry in the city given the crucial work that the centre does in helping those with addiction issues. “At a time when addiction continues to be a major issue for so many families in this society, we need to be investing in such services."