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Deirdre Heenan

Deirdre Heenan

The Business Post

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Ambiguous targets, uncertain budgets – the thousands in pain on waiting lists deserve better than this

06.03.2025 10

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

The Department of Health has produced a road map with no destinations when we need decisions now

04.03.2025 10

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Dear Mike, we’ve had our fill of false promises – lead us please from intention to action on health reform

17.02.2025 9

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

AI and better data are key to improving our health, so why isn’t Stormont talking about it?

04.02.2025 10

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Astounding lack of action to tackle our hospitals’ delayed discharges

20.01.2025 10

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

More money won’t fix our broken health system - no matter how often our politicians tell us otherwise

09.01.2025 5

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

What age is too young to be a criminal?

Reports that children as young as seven were involved in last year’s riots and public disorder caused a predictable public outcry. How could this...

07.01.2025 6

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

A little less conversation and a little more action please, Stormont

The end of the year seems like an opportune moment to reflect on the record of our devolved administration. After a two-year hiatus, the...

23.12.2024 2

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Kneecap won’t be the last group to score a win over Kemi Badenoch

If Kemi Badenoch is the answer, what is the question? Her version of Toryism is not likely to leave Sir Keir Starmer shaking in his shoes. In...

09.12.2024 4

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

There is a better way than making assisted dying legal

A landmark vote on legalising assisted dying is due to be held this Friday. The term assisted dying is usually thought to include both clinician-...

25.11.2024 3

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Donald Trump’s economic message hit home and brought victory over Kamala Harris and the Democrats

Donald Trump has become the first president since Grover Cleveland to be elected to non-consecutive terms in the White House. As comebacks go this...

11.11.2024 3

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Where is the change Labour promised us? Time to hit the reset button

This Labour government began their mandate for change cushioned by a sky-high majority and a public perception that things could only get better....

28.10.2024 2

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Time to face up to hard truths of broken promises on health reform

Shortly after his appointment as health minister, Mike Nesbitt announced that he was inviting Professor Rafael Bengoa back to Northern Ireland, to...

14.10.2024 3

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Keir Starmer is no Tony Blair

Last week Keir Starmer delivered the first conference speech from a Labour prime minister in 15 years. Rebuilding a party riven by factionalism and...

30.09.2024 1

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Stormont’s programme for government is just more of the same thin gruel we’ve been served for decades

Having a programme for government is better than not having one, but beyond that the production of this ‘plan for the future’ is hardly a cause for...

16.09.2024 2

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Claire Hanna is energetic and relatable – but can she make the SDLP relevant too?

Claire Hanna is set to take over at the helm of the SDLP. She will be seventh leader since the formation of the party and its second female leader....

03.09.2024 6

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

There’s a blueprint to transform mental health services. Why won’t the Department of Health fund it?

Despite being described as a priority policy issue, mental health services in Northern Ireland are being left to fail. Patients and service users...

19.08.2024 2

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

Labour is simply playing Tories at their own game

The new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is pulling no punches about the £22 billion fiscal black hole that she has inherited from the previous Tory...

05.08.2024 1

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan

No-one wins in our system of dealing with medical negligence

Last week our health and social care system was again in the spotlight for all of the wrong reasons. The Western Health and Social Care Trust paid...

22.07.2024 2

The Irish News

Deirdre Heenan