Scope Articles

The terrifying truth about climate change

1 Mar 2019

It has been one of those weeks when everyone has been talking about the weather.

The Justice Department wants your views on how best to beat internet grooming and child abuse

28 Feb 2019

How justice agencies and the law tackle online child sexual exploitation is evolving. Common availability of the internet is only about 20 years old – while the reach and nature of usage has changed massively in the last decade.

Have your say on making the health service more open

22 Feb 2019

The Department of Health is currently working through its response to the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths.

Reform of stroke services could lead the way for health transformation

Stroke survivor Rosemary Brown and her partner Martin

21 Feb 2019

A new report from the Stroke Association prove significant shortcomings in service. Officials want their planned sweeping changes to show how our entire Health and Social Care system can be reformed.

Childcare provision is good but there are problems with affordability and sustainability

14 Feb 2019

Last month, Employers for Childcare released their ninth annual NI Childcare Cost Survey. The burden on families is enormous - but providers are also under huge strain. Reform (financial assistance and restructuring) is required.

The health revolution

13 Feb 2019

Medicine is at the dawn of a new era. A whole range of new digital technologies, significant steps in developing artificial intelligence and rapid developments on genomics will together transform healthcare forever.

The Crisis in Social Care: the road to nowhere

8 Feb 2019

Power to People, the expert panel review of adult social care in Northern Ireland called for the authorities to start a public conversation about how services should be structured and funded.

Quality of life is easy to understand but difficult to pin down

8 Feb 2019

Reform is possible in NI, even without a government. Officials last week published a paper seeking to understand what is meant by “quality of life” – with the ultimate aim of improving the lot of adults and children with disabilities.

Winning the war on cancer

31 Jan 2019

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Northern Ireland’s first cancer charity. Scope looks back and examines the future of cancer treatments and asks if there will ever be a cure.

Popular input makes better policy

31 Jan 2019

People love the NHS and attempts at reform are often met with public resistance. However, its adaptability has been one of its greatest strengths. The response to the hyponatraemia inquiry highlights this.

How to feed the world

25 Jan 2019

This week the great and the good gathered at Davos for the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting.

Welfare Reform mitigations have problems that could be helped by an Executive

23 Jan 2019

An Audit Office report has highlighted huge Welfare Reform underspend. Several NI organisations say bigger problems are coming. With no Assembly, we are rudderless – but Stormont struggled to deal with this first time round.

How NI relies on Europe for employability schemes

18 Jan 2019

The European Social Fund represents a small amount of EU money – but supports a huge proportion of the schemes in its sector. Westminster’s delay on developing a replacement is worrying.

Brexit and the looming social care crisis