Member's statement: Mental Health Support: Emergency Departments
Member's statement by Ms Carál Ní Chuilín on .
- MLA
- Ms Carál Ní Chuilín
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 5 March 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Mental Health Support: Emergency Departments
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4252350
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I wish to raise the issue of mental health support in our emergency departments. The community navigators, who are probably better known as the "Pink T-shirts", provide a service that is based in the Royal Victoria Hospital emergency department. They have been working there since December 2021. It is a service that is provided by the Ashton Community Trust and Start360 in Belfast. They work in conjunction with accident and emergency nurses, doctors, consultants and the mental health liaison team to support individuals. They really are the de-escalation service for people in crisis. When those people are assessed, they are referred on for either a medical intervention or additional mental health and support. Yesterday, during Question Time, the Health Minister was asked about a lot of community and voluntary groups, including those that are based in different health and social care trusts, and about what happens after 31 March. From speaking to the staff in accident in emergency, as well as to the families and individuals who have been supported through the service, I know that it will be much more difficult if that funding and that partnership are not just continued but expanded after 31 March. Ideally, I would like to see the service being extended to the Mater Hospital in north Belfast. In the context of the Protect Life 2 suicide prevention strategy, the "card before you leave" scheme and all the other services that are there to protect people at their most vulnerable, there are partnerships. I also recognise that the funding for our health and social care staff and workforce planning is not where it should be. In fact, it is quite poor. We have heard about the impact of COVID, but these challenges were there prior to COVID and have been exacerbated by it. It is imperative that Ashton Community Trust, Start360, the mental health navigators and the Belfast Trust get the additional funding to continue the service. I appeal to the Minister and the strategic planning and performance group to make sure that not only that project but others are continued after 31 March.
350 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.96).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.96 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.92 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.08 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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