£2.3m announced for Northern Ireland neurology services as Alliance questions funding shortfall

October 8, 2026 The Belfast Desk

An additional £2.3 million in annual funding has been announced for neurology services in Northern Ireland, alongside the establishment of a dedicated team to oversee improvements in patient care.

Brain MRI scans displayed in a hospital illustrating Northern Ireland neurology funding and services — Neurology services in Northern Ireland are to receive an additional £2.3 million in annual funding.

Health Minister Robbie Butler confirmed the investment on Thursday 8 October, saying the funding would help increase capacity within neurology services and begin addressing waiting lists.

However, Alliance Party MLA Peter McReynolds has questioned whether the investment goes far enough, highlighting the substantially greater funding identified as necessary to deliver wider reforms.

£2.3m annual investment in neurology services

The Department of Health said the additional £2.3 million would be provided on a recurrent annual basis through the Elective Care Fund.

The funding is intended to increase neurology capacity and support efforts to reduce waiting lists for patients requiring specialist assessment and treatment.

The Minister also announced the establishment of a dedicated Neurology Delivery Team, which will oversee progress on recommendations arising from the Regional Review of Neurology Services.

The review identified a range of improvements required to strengthen neurology care across Northern Ireland.

The Department acknowledged that the latest investment would not, on its own, provide all the resources needed to implement every recommendation.

Alliance questions scale of funding

Responding to the announcement, Alliance East Belfast MLA Peter McReynolds welcomed the additional investment but raised concerns about the overall funding available for neurology reform.

“Today’s announcement, whilst welcome, raises bigger questions about funding for Neurology Services in Northern Ireland,” he said.

Mr McReynolds pointed to the Department’s Regional Review of Neurology, which identified a requirement for more than £65 million in additional funding over the first five years of implementation.

He contrasted that figure with the £2.3 million in recurrent annual funding announced by the Health Minister.

The MLA also referenced a report published by the Northern Ireland Neurological Charities Alliance, entitled Left Behind: The Price of Inaction on Neurology Reform.

According to Mr McReynolds, the report estimated that failure to reform neurology services was costing Northern Ireland nearly £870 million annually.

“While all funding is welcome, it is clear this is nowhere near enough,” he said.

Mr McReynolds called for urgent action to ensure patients across Northern Ireland could access a properly funded and effective neurology service.

Focus on waiting lists and long-term reform

The announcement places renewed attention on the challenges facing neurology services, including waiting times, service capacity and the implementation of recommendations from the regional review.

While the additional recurrent funding provides resources for increasing capacity, the wider programme of reform will require further decisions on funding and delivery.

The Neurology Delivery Team is expected to play a central role in progressing that work, with the Department of Health’s announcement and the Alliance response highlighting the continuing debate over the scale and pace of investment required.

Department of Health – £2.3m neurology funding announcement