Mike Nesbitt has resigned as health minister following a dispute with Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Jon Burrows over the future of emergency general surgery services at Causeway Hospital. The decision marks a significant shift in the region's political landscape, stemming from a disagreement over withdrawing critical services.
Mike Nesbitt, who previously led the UUP from 2012 to 2017 and again briefly in 2024 before Jon Burrows assumed leadership, found himself at odds with his party leader on the issue. Burrows, a Member of the Legislative Assembly for North Antrim, publicly stated his opposition last week to the removal of emergency general surgery from Causeway Hospital. This stance appeared to contradict the Department of Health's established policy.
The Northern Health Trust had previously recommended consolidating emergency general surgery services at fewer hospital sites within its network, a move that likely prompted the departmental policy Nesbitt was associated with. The conflict between Nesbitt's position as health minister and Burrows' public opposition created an untenable situation, leading to Nesbitt's resignation.