Northlands Centre annual core funding withdrawn by the Department of Health

Derry’s Northlands Addiction Treatment Centre, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, has had its annual core funding withdrawn by the Department of Health.
The funding covered the organisation’s administration and housekeeping costs.
Asked on what basis this decision had been taken, a spokesperson for the Department told The Derry News: “The Minister [Mike Nesbitt] asked the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action to facilitate a redesign of the Core Grant scheme, given it had remained unchanged for 20 years.
“It was the voluntary and community sector that drew up the criteria for successful applications. Unfortunately demand massively outstripped the available funding.
“The Northlands Centre has now been provided with their feedback, this will hopefully be of assistance when applying for future funding rounds. Those who have missed out this time will have another opportunity later this year to bid for funding in 2026/27.
“The Minister is keen to review this year’s outcomes to determine what further adjustments might be made to further improve the process.”
The revelation core funding had been withdrawn from Northlands was contained in the organisation’s response to the consultation carried out on the ‘Independent Review of Tier 4 Detoxification and Rehabilitation Services in Northern Ireland 2024’.
Commissioned by the Department of Health and published in October 2024, the Review was carried out by Ms Bria Mongan and Dr Geraldine O’Hare. The consultation on its findings opened on November 27, 2024 and closed on February 19, 2025.
According to the Department of Health the purpose of the consultation was to “gather opinion from members of the public, stakeholders and all interested parties on a range of recommendations” made in the Review.
The Department received 58 responses in relation to consultation. In documentation seen by The Derry News, Derry City and Strabane District Council is not listed as one of the 12 organisations which submitted a response. It is not clear whether Foyle MP Colum Eastwood or any of the Foyle MLAs responded either.
In its highly critical response to the review, Northlands said the description of its services was “unrecognisable to us and is one of many examples of the inaccuracies throughout”.
It added: “This weight of negativity is not only unbalanced but offensive and insulting towards ourselves and other established organisations whose work effects positive changes in people’s lives.
“The extent of this misrepresentation has the potential to damage the highly compassionate, caring and professional service we have offered over the last 50 years and in turn questions the efficacy of other addiction-focused agencies which we have been intrinsically part of setting up and developing.”
The organisation contended the review had failed to understand and address the substantive political and economic issues that determine the range and nature of Tier 4b services.
“There is no recognition that currently, and for a long number of years, all three 4b service providers are from the Voluntary sector,” it added.
“This has not happened accidently and anyone with an interest in current affairs and politics will know that it will be the way for the foreseeable future. The Department of Health and the Health Boards withdrew from residential rehabilitation services many years ago.
“The result was that here in the North 4b was left to two community organisations, partially and inadequately funded by the Department of Health. A third facility, defined as a housing project, was supported and partially funded by the Housing Executive.
“There is an accusation that Northlands works in a ‘silo’ fashion and has been uncooperative in relation to statutory services. That accusation is unjust, hurtful and wrong.”
According to Northlands, it “stood strong in its ethos, its methodology and its services, despite the vagaries that often emanate, over the years, from governmental departments and Boards”.
“One of Northlands’ great strengths has been its relationship with the community in general and the many specific organisations that it uses as addendums to its therapy and to its services,” said the organisation.
“But probably the most glaring omission [in the Review] was that Northlands is a one stop shop. As far as we are aware it is the only one on this island.
“It was lightly passed over that Northlands provides non-residential interventions for 600 or so every year. And even less recognised that this service is mostly financed by Northlands itself. But the most annoying aspect was the failure to discuss the merits and the strengths of a ‘one stop shop’, where people who are addicted and /or their families are given options.
“The one stop shop also provides diversity and prevents ideologies that sometimes infiltrates addiction services. The fact that this received no attention in the Report was disappointing and neglectful. Unfortunately, the Report didn’t reflect these issues adequately or, specifically in Northlands case, misunderstood them.
“In respect of our organisation, the total lack of understanding and misrepresentation of our therapeutic approach and the many inaccuracies and contradictions throughout the description of our services highlighted this in very real terms.”
The organisation contended its attempts to “engage and work with statutory services” could be robustly evidenced, despite the Review stating that it found ‘Northlands to be working in isolation, rather than being integral to the regional addictions’ pathway across Northern Ireland.’