A new independent expert advisory committee is to review how services will be delivered across hospitals in Northern Ireland.
Health minister Robbie Butler said the Reconfiguration Committee will provide him with advice on major or controversial proposals for permanent changes to health and social care services.
It follows a major political and public row around the future of Emergency General Surgery at Causeway Hospital which triggered the resignation of Mike Nesbitt.
Announcing the move on Thursday, Butler said it will bring together independent clinical and public-interest expertise.
"Crucially, it will be able to scrutinise the evidence underpinning proposals rather than simply accepting that evidence at face value.
"It will consider patient safety, service quality, clinical effectiveness, and long-term sustainability," the minister said.
Professor Deirdre Heenan, an expert in health policy at Ulster University, said the focus should be on implementing previous recommendations rather than carrying out further reviews.
Source: BBC News, 3 September 2026
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