Noteworthy ball in hospital department (9)
I believe the answer is:
prominent
'noteworthy' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'ball in hospital department' is the wordplay.
'ball' becomes 'prom' (prom is a kind of ball).
'hospital department' becomes 'ENT' (abbreviation for Ear, Nose and Throat department).
'prom'+'in'+'ent'='PROMINENT'
(Other definitions for prominent that I've seen before include "Noticeable or notable" , "sticking up" , "Conspicuous or outstanding" , "Projecting; famous" , "Conspicuous in position or importance" .)