Northern Ireland’s international health workers 'feel too frightened to come to work'

Northern Ireland’s international health workers 'feel too frightened to come to work' "The current unrest is having a profound impact on all of our services, which are already under enormous strain." 16:36, 10 Jun 2026 The chief executives of Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Care Trusts have condemned the ongoing unrest and say international staff being intimidated or feeling too frightened to come to work is "completely unacceptable". They were speaking after scenes of violence saw homes set alight in parts of Belfast as serious disorder broke out on Tuesday night. Mobs set homes, a bus and cars on fire a day after a man was violently attacked in North Belfast in an incident on Monday which was filmed and widely shared online. Sudanese man Hadi Alodid appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder, threats to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife. Amid concerns of more disturbances on Wednesday, the health chiefs issued a joint statement this afternoon, saying: "We are deeply concerned and appalled at the violence which we are witnessing in our communities. "It is completely unacceptable that our international staff, who provide an invaluable service, should be intimidated or feel too frightened to come to work. "The current unrest is having a profound impact on all of our services, which are already under enormous strain. "All the Trusts are trying to operate as normally as possible but the disruption is making this increasingly difficult." They added: "As Chief Executives, we value every single member of our staff, who are trying to care for vulnerable people, both in our hospitals and in the community every day. "The safety of our patients, service users and our staff is paramount. "It is imperative that everyone who works across our Health and Social Care Service, including Care Homes, Community Pharmacies, Home Care and Primary Care, are able to provide essential care to everyone that needs it, without fear or intimidation. "We would like to sincerely thank all our staff for their continued dedication, in really difficult circumstances." Article continues below For the latest on this developing story follow our live blog here .