In Northern Ireland the responsibility to plan, secure and buy health services - including cancer services - for the NI population is the responsibility of the Regional Health and Social Care Board.

The Board has a number of Health and Social Care Trusts from which it commissions or buys health services for the NI population. The Board also commissions services from charities. It is the Board's responsibility to ensure that these services are sufficient to meet the needs of the population.

Cancer units are based in each of the Trusts, with the cancer centre located in the Belfast HSC Trust, the largest of the Trusts.