While intense negotiations were going on aimed at restoring the Stormont executive, the department of health caused considerable dismay after it announced that the training budget for specialist nurses was being cut by £1 million.
This money was to be axed from the Ulster University training fund for already qualified nurses for 2017/18 and would have affected district nurses, health visitors and those seeking to work with cancer patients and in emergency departments.
Given the health service strategy aimed at providing district nurses and health visitors in every GP surgery, this was a curious decision and undoubtedly counter-productive.
The money involved is just a fraction of the health service budget which stands at around £5 billion but there are clear benefits from having nurses trained in the skills that are in demand.
We also know that the health trusts face paying high rates to bank nurses to fill any gaps in staffing levels.
Not surprisingly, this decision caused deep disquiet with the university and health unions warning it would have a devastating impact on patient care.
Former health minister Michelle O'Neill also intervened in the row, saying the cut was at odds with her blueprint for the future of healthcare in the north.
Within a short time of the cuts announcement, the department performed a dramatic U-turn, saying £1.25m was being made available for services including health visiting, district nursing and cancer nursing programme.
This reversal is a welcome development but it is not clear how it was determined in the first place that the funding for such key specialist training should be reduced.
The department of health also needs to make clear when it was decided that there was money that could be allocated to these important education programmes.
This entire episode is rather disconcerting given the crucial nature of our health service, the need for an agreed strategy and the absence of an accountable minister to drive that strategy forward.
