Short answer
Some very specialist treatments, such as certain transplants and rare-disease services, are provided to Northern Ireland patients in Great Britain, because a small population cannot sustain every specialist unit.
What we know Fact
- Patients are referred to specialist centres in Great Britain when treatment is not available here.
- Some services are also shared on an all-island basis, such as children's heart surgery in Dublin.
What is still unclear Interpretation
[CHECK: list specific services from the Department of Health before publishing.]
Sources
Our view Pro-Union
Being part of a country of 69 million gives Northern Ireland access to specialist care it could not support alone.
