August 28th 2026

It is difficult to be surprised by the ways that the principles of our NHS are continually undermined in Northern Ireland, but the latest revelation is shocking nonetheless. The decision of two Northern Ireland Health Trusts to spend £200,000 each on an England-based firm, Liaison Care, despite prior concerns raised by the Department of Health and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) regarding the company's review methods.

According to Keep Our NHS Public, Liaison Financial Services of which Liaison Care is a part, “have received £multi-million remuneration from Integrated Care Boards (ICB) as their share of cutting the value of, or cancelling, CHC [continual healthcare] packages to patients with complex health needs ... The Group Accounts documented substantial dividends, totalling £2,959,880 shared between four company directors.

While all Northern Ireland Health Trusts may have used the firm, so far only the Northern and South Eastern Trusts have disclosed the amount of public funds paid to slash care packages. Liaison Care conducts reviews online without ever meeting service users face-to-face—a process that relies on automated algorithms to decide the fate of the elderly, sick, and disabled.

Hospitals frequently cite a shortage of care packages as the primary driver of delayed discharges and bed blocking. The source of this shortage is the push toward private home care providers, which struggle to recruit and retain staff due to low pay and poor working conditions. Despite knowing this, Trusts are once again seeking cutbacks through a private firm using dubious cost-reduction methods, showing a total disregard for service users in pursuit of savings.

The Workers' Party expressed deep concern that the RQIA dropped its objections to the company on the grounds that, as an English entity, it is not required to register with them. This decision creates a dangerous loophole, allowing Trusts to hand public money to out-of-jurisdiction companies to evade local regulation, control, and sanctions.

The Workers Party calls on the Health Minister to launch an immediate investigation into which Trusts are using Liaison Care, how much public money has been spent, and who authorised the process. We demand an urgent review of the procurement and governance procedures that permitted these contracts.

Health service staff continue to work under extreme pressure without receiving their promised pay increases, while senior managers receive bonuses for implementing cutbacks. Without holding out much hope, we call on local politicians to defend public services rather than allow private companies to profit off vulnerable citizens. Northern Ireland has reached a new low in the mismanagement of its health and social care services.