IHRD-85 Response Accepted

Deputy CMO for Children's Healthcare

Recommendation

The Department should appoint a Deputy Chief Medical Officer with specific responsibility for children's healthcare.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
- The Department of Health NI stated in March 2018 that the role was under consideration within departmental restructuring (IHRD Implementation Programme, Department of Health NI, March 2018).
- No Deputy Chief Medical Officer with specific responsibility for children's healthcare has been appointed.
- No further published evidence of progress has been identified.
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Claude (Anthropic) on 17 Jul 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
Jurisdiction
Northern Ireland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Department of Health NI
01 Mar 2018

Role considerations ongoing within Department of Health NI restructuring.

Read Full Response
Published Evidence

Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Insufficient Progress
06 Feb 2026
Department of Health NI Other

No Deputy CMO for children's healthcare appointed. The role remains under consideration within DoH NI restructuring after 8 years.

View detailed findings

Recommendation 85 called for a Deputy Chief Medical Officer with specific responsibility for children's healthcare. As of February 2026, this role has not been created. It remains under consideration within Department of Health NI restructuring.

IHRD Implementation Programme View Source
Source
Inquiry Hyponatraemia Inquiry
Report Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths 31 Jan 2018
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Department of Health NI Primary
Themes & Tags
Children's health staff shortages Underinvestment in Children's Social Care Leadership Paediatrics Department
Recommendation age 8.5 yrs
Last formal update 910 days ago