Civil servants in the North are to introduce a pay rise for health service workers that was left unimplemented due to the Stormont powersharing crisis.

Health chiefs are set to investigate claims by a senator that there was “a cover-up” by management at St Vincent’s Hospital over the fraudulent charging of health insurers for cancer drugs.

Siptu was unaware of the existence of a “slush fund” operated by one of its senior staff because its name was “misleading”.

THE number of medical cards held by people who have died or moved away from their health board area has risen to almost 40,000 — up from 25,000 in January.