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Mr Mike Nesbitt: Assembly records
All of Mr Mike Nesbitt’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not qualifying, uncertain or not yet analysed.
The primary support comes from the trusts because they tend to be the employer. I was in Ballyclare, in the Member's constituency, during the week of the race riots, and I met an international colleague who runs an advice centre for ethnic health workers. I also went down the street and met a body that delivers…
I cannot confirm that number because I am told that a bit of duplication was involved in the numbers. I am happy to write to the Member with an update on that. It was a significant number. In fact, one is one too many because Encompass is an incredibly expensive system. It just should not happen. Although the…
As I understand it, there was a technical failure in what should have been a fail-safe system and a number of referrals were not issued. That is a matter of deep regret for me. However, those referrals were telling GPs that the consultant who was issuing the referral did not need to see their patient.
Again, I accept that it is regrettable. However, I think that the first thing that a woman in that situation needs to be told is, "We're taking you somewhere not that far away where a safe service is waiting for you and your baby".
I am tempted to say to the Member that that is, of course, an operational matter for the Southern Trust. However, I take very seriously any unplanned interruption to service delivery. I am being told that the service was picked up in Craigavon Area Hospital. While that is an inconvenience, there were, as far as I am…
I hope that the Member does not expect me to make up policy on the hoof during Question Time. I will simply say to her that I will certainly take her question away with me. I have made the point many times during Question Time that I want to be much more vocal and open about saying that patient safety is the…
I will write to the Member if I am wrong, but it is my understanding that a patient suffering a stroke can be stabilised at the Causeway Hospital and then transferred to the thrombectomy service in Belfast. I gently point out to the Member that, by his logic, he is calling for an acute hospital at the end of every…
When I referred to the £80 million for waiting lists and building capacity, I made it clear that some of that money will be invested in turning the thrombectomy service into a 24/7 service. That should help the around 160 people every year who suffer a stroke potentially to walk out of hospital on the same day, with…
First, I have mentioned tomorrow's health summit. That is about putting patient safety at the top of the list of priorities for the leadership of Health and Social Care. Secondly, on an individual duty of candour, I again refer the Member to the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, commonly known as the Hillsborough…
I repeat my condolences; Lynsey and Erin lost their lives, and that should not have happened. I direct the Member to the report from Professor Frank Atherton, who assimilated all the other reports, which were conflicting in some of their conclusions. His conclusion was that it would not be appropriate to pursue…
Our responsible Opposition have spoken. I am not looking for a fight with anybody. Some 75,000 or 76,000 people deliver health and social care in this country. I would like them all to wake up feeling good about life, to get out of bed looking forward to going on shift and to go home at night thinking, "That was a…
No, I do not agree that the matter is down to me. When I came into post, the pay regime that was in place was clear: two independent bodies make recommendations on pay awards, one of which is for doctors and dentists, the other being for everybody else working in Health and Social Care (HSC). We were recommended a pay…
I am grateful to Executive colleagues for accepting the argument I made to them that, having done well in the last financial year in exceeding many times over the Programme for Government target on addressing long waiting lists, we were in danger of losing momentum without a Budget. I am really grateful to them for…
There has been significant improvement in endoscopy waiting times. Between 30 June 2025 and the end of March this year, a 35% reduction is reported in the number of patients waiting for the procedure, alongside a 92% reduction in the number waiting in excess of 78 weeks. My Department continues to invest in endoscopy…
The children's social work workforce continues to experience significant pressures. However, there has been a modest increase in staffing over the past two years. In April 2024, there were 1,133·5 whole-time-equivalent band 5 to 7 social workers in post: as of April this year, that has increased to 1,199·8, which is…
There will be a considerable amount of work over the remainder of the mandate. We have the adult safeguarding Bill, which was paused to allow us to absorb the recommendations — as it turned out, the 106 recommendations — from the Muckamore Abbey Hospital report. I also made a commitment to a statutory duty of candour…
I assure the Member that I very much value the work of social care workers, social workers and everybody who is delivering health and social care. I have often said that there are five elements in its delivery — buildings, beds, equipment, medicine and the workforce — and that the first four do not add up to a hill of…
The role played by social workers in delivering safeguarding and family support interventions is complex and challenging. The work frequently pivots on multidisciplinary collaboration, with parents and carers positioned as partners in the formulation and delivery of safeguarding and support plans. Their work ensures…
I thank the Member. We provide a range of services. Long waiting times were one of the prominent themes raised during the consultation on the emotional health and well-being framework. It takes action to address that. A key change is the move away from multiple single diagnostic pathways, which often create delays,…
That is one of the intents of the Committee in Common. As the Member will know, the trusts were, in effect, set up under a sort of Thatcherite model of competition driving down price. That does not work for me. If I could start with a blank page or click my fingers, we would not have five geographically based trusts.…
I absolutely share the Member's ambition to see people living in the community. The trusts provide a range of evidence-informed programmes for individuals who are awaiting assessment. For children and young people, early intervention teams deliver proactive needs-led programmes that are neurodiversity-affirming and…
I very much understand the Member's desire to see hard targets set, both on numbers and on timelines. I get it and am not against it, but, in the past number of days, two public inquiries have reported, and my conclusion from that is that there is something that has to go above timelines, targets, savings and…
I fully recognise the impact of the current delays on individuals and families. The situation has arisen due to a combination of factors, including funding that falls short of objectively assessed need and previously missed opportunities to reform health and social care delivery. I am committed to addressing this, and…
I am unaware of the individual case, and I am unaware that that is something that occurs in Health and Social Care (HSC) delivery, so I will take it away.