Budget briefing and system discussion: NICON webinar report

Background

On Monday 1 December 2025, NICON organised a webinar to consider the implications of the new UK budget for health and social care (HSC) in Northern Ireland. The session was led by Brigitte Worth, Finance Director, Strategic Policy and Performance Group (SPPG), and Eimear McCauley, Executive Director of Finance, Contracts and Capital Development, Western HSC Trust (WHSCT). We also heard from Roisin Coulter, Chief Executive, South Eastern HSC Trust (SEHSCT), alongside a range of other HSC leaders and key partners.

During the webinar, participants examined the key tenets of the budget in the context of focusing on delivery of the Health and Social Care Reset Plan.

Key points

• There is an expected overspend of at least £200 million across the Health and Social Care (HSC) system in Northern Ireland this year and significant savings plans are already in place.
• We do not yet have yet have full clarity on how the UK budget will impact health and social care in NI. However, the current assumption is that next year’s budget will be ‘flat cash’ and there will be no additional ‘bail out’ money provided by the UK government in year.
• Taken together, this presents a very challenging financial climate for health and social care in NI.
• We need ‘radical transformation’ within health and social care to meet current challenges. There may be a need for significant change such as considering additional options for revenue raising and developing new workforce strategies.
• We already have a direction of travel provided by the Health and Social Care Reset Plan. The current challenges we are facing may galvanise the system to produce the radical transformation we need.