Debate contribution: Primary Care: Extreme Pressures

Debate contribution by Mr Alan Chambers on 14 May 2024.

MLA

Mr Alan Chambers

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

14 May 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Primary Care: Extreme Pressures

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4490275

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Every opportunity to talk about the challenges facing our health service is welcome, even if, occasionally, as today, a number of the points raised are out of date. I do not make that comment to point-score, but it is a fact that the motion and some of what it refers to may be coming a month too late. The recent agreement on the general medical services (GMS) contract and, especially, the announcements on interim payments for GP indemnity have been warmly welcomed by many of the GPs to whom I have spoken over recent weeks. Similarly, the direction of travel of shifting some services back into primary care rather than out of it, such as the recent announcement on vasectomy services, has reinforced confidence and has served as a useful illustration of what can be done with the right mindset. It is fair to describe primary care as the cornerstone of our health service, especially given that 90% of all contacts with the health system locally take place at that level. There is no doubt that it is the most cost-effective means of delivering high-quality care while being the one that is most valued by the patient. It also remains the most accessible element of the health service, with many patients remaining under the care of GPs and other general practice staff whom they have come to know over many years. Of course, there are undoubted challenges with GP access. While it is a mixed bag, with some patients seeing little, if any, diminution of access, there is no denying that, for too many others, it is becoming increasingly difficult even to get through to practices to make an appointment. Before the latest collapse of the Executive in late 2022, seeking to improve access and remove the unnecessary bureaucratic burden on GP practices was being given significant focus. Unfortunately, as with so many other services, patients really lost out during the subsequent political and budgetary impasse. Nevertheless, it is probably fair to say that there is now greater cross-party recognition of the contribution made by the various staff who work across primary care. Unfortunately, the rhetoric of supporting and investing in primary care was not always demonstrated previously. For instance, the proposers of the motion rightly talk about GP training places, believing that:

"the failure to train, recruit, retain and reward staff has limited progress toward the roll-out of multidisciplinary teams in local primary care settings".

That is absolutely right, but those Members show no regard for their party's culpability in the matter. Theirs is the party that held the Health portfolio for five years from 2011 until 2016, when, instead of investing in staff training places, it implemented swingeing cuts. It is a fact that the root cause of the problems in the health service can be traced back to decisions that were made a decade ago. Ideally, I would not be standing here today making such points, but, ultimately we should not allow MLAs from whatever party to try to present an alternative version of the truth. I see no reference in the motion to the fact that, a number of years ago, Robin Swann decided to proceed at risk, in the context of no budgetary cover, to increase the number of local GP training places to 121. Whilst that might be an inconvenient fact for the proposers of the motion, it is an increase of 86% since 2015-16. Of course, several other points were raised in the motion that are equally distorted. The largest elephant in the room, however, has to be what the motion calls for and how that compares with the decision that was made on the Budget barely a few weeks ago. The Minister and his officials have been clear with the Health Committee over recent weeks and months that further MDT roll-out is their top priority and that, when it comes to transformation, some additional investment is needed in staff and buildings. Just over two years ago, the Minister announced the next planned expansion for the three proposed GP federations for the MDT programme in north Belfast, south-west Fermanagh and Omagh, and east Antrim. In supporting the motion, I recognise that my party will be acknowledging achievements that Minister Swann has already made and that it will seek uplifts in the health budget to fully fund any of the motion's outstanding aspirations.

729 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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