Other News In Brief

SF: Urgent Need To Address Ongoing Delays In Cancer Treatment

Ongoing delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment must be addressed "as a matter of urgency", Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has said.

Responding to new data from the Cancer Waiting Times Statistics, the party's health spokesperson said: "New data from the Department of Health shows that waiting times for treatments and referrals increased during the autumn.

"The pandemic has placed huge pressure on the entire health service, but almost two years on, the Department of Health still hasn't secured adequate cancer services for patients.

"Like many of the challenges facing health and social care, delays in cancer treatments are connected to staff shortages and lack of workforce planning.

"We need to see an urgent plan from the Health Minister to tackle staff shortages and address the problems leading to these delays."

'Sudden Death' In North Belfast Not Being Treated As Suspicious

The PSNI has ruled that the 'sudden' death of a man in North Belfast is not being treated as suspicious.

Police have said that the man was discovered dead at a house in Atlantic Avenue on Wednesday, 05 January.

Police said that they are continuing to investigate the man's death but it is not being treated as suspicious.

New Deloitte Assured Skills Human Capital Academy Announced

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons has announced a new Assured Skills Human Capital Academy, in partnership with Deloitte.

The Academy will see 39 participants receive six weeks of industry-relevant training with South Eastern Regional College (SERC) to provide the skills and experience required to take up exciting positions in Deloitte. Successfully completing the Academy will guarantee a job interview for a Belfast-based Analyst role at Deloitte within Human Capital as a Service (HCaaS) or HR Consulting business.

Minister Lyons said: "I am pleased to announce this new Assured Skills Human Capital Academy with Deloitte. This offers a great opportunity for 39 individuals to reskill or train for an Analyst role within Human Capital as a Service or HR Consulting and potentially gain employment with a leading multinational company.

"Assured Skills Academies have a successful track record in providing people with high quality training while helping employers access the skilled people they need to grow. These training places, funded by my Department, will position participants strongly to compete for a job with Deloitte in this exciting sector and I would urge anyone who is eligible to consider applying."