There is no list of specific healthcare you can get under the Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme (NIPHS).
Generally, if the healthcare is available publicly in Ireland, you can be referred for the same healthcare in Northern Ireland.
To find out if you are eligible, contact us for help.
Types of healthcare available under NIPHS
Examples of healthcare available under NIPHS:
- day case, inpatient and outpatient care in acute hospital services, including psychiatric services
- community-based outpatient care
- dental and orthodontic services (with some exceptions, such as dental screening services in schools)
- speech and language services
- occupational therapy services (with some exceptions, such as assessment for aids at home)
- psychology services
- physiotherapy services
- disability services
- ophthalmic (eyes, cataracts) services
- orthopaedic (hip replacements) services
- fertility treatment (IVF, IUI or ICSI )
- mental health services
- methadone programme
- addiction care
If you want to access an addiction service abroad, contact us for help.
Community-based services
Your GP or consultant can refer you for community-based services.
You can also be referred for some community-based services by:
- public health nurses
- community dentists
- HSE orthodontists
- other HSE health specialists
Orthodontic treatment
Orthodontic treatment can be used to help straighten your teeth. It's usually done by fitting braces. A full course of treatment usually takes 18 months to 2 years. After the braces are removed, most people must wear a retainer.
Orthodontic treatment is available under the NIPHS. But you have to be eligible for the public treatment in Ireland. Usually, only children under the age of 16 are eligible.
You can access the orthodontic service through screening appointments in your child's primary school.
To be eligible:
- Your local HSE dental clinic must refer you for an orthodontic assessment.
- The HSE orthodontic service must assess you and approve you for treatment.
Your HSE orthodontic service can give you a letter to show that your child is eligible for treatment. You must send this letter with your application.
How much you can claim for orthodontic treatment
The maximum repayment for orthodontic treatment under the NIPHS is €2,200. For example, if your treatment in Northern Ireland costs €5,000, you can claim €2,200. If it costs €1,000, you can claim €1,000.
The maximum repayments for each stage are:
- assessment for eligibility for orthodontic treatment: €100
- orthodontic treatment: €2,100
You can only get a repayment when the orthodontic treatment is completed. This is after the braces are removed and your child enters the retainer stage.
Fertility treatment
You can get IVF, IUI or ICSI using the NIPHS scheme.
You will need to:
When you apply for repayment
You can apply for healthcare costs in the normal way for each scheme.
The healthcare professional in Northern Ireland that treats you will need to sign your application. This is to confirm that you meet the access criteria as it is in the Republic of Ireland.
We will also check that any treatment you get is the same that is publicly available in Republic of Ireland.
You will not receive healthcare costs if your care was shared between a healthcare provider in Ireland and a provider in Northern Ireland. For example, you cannot use eggs that you had frozen in the Republic of Ireland as part of your treatment Northern Ireland. You must have all of your treatment at your chosen provider Northern Ireland.
Treatment that is not covered
You cannot use the NIPHS to get IVF, ICSI or IUI if you:
- cannot use your own eggs or sperm
- are in a same-sex couple
- are single
This is because treatment under these circumstances is currently not available in the Republic of Ireland. You can only have the same treatment that is available to public patients in the Republic of Ireland.