Debate contribution: Thrombectomy Service
Debate contribution by Mr Harry Harvey on .
- MLA
- Mr Harry Harvey
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 10 February 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Thrombectomy Service
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5435849
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the leader of Opposition for tabling the motion on this vital matter and bringing it to the Floor. Some months ago, I had the privilege of meeting Kim, one of my constituents, who is a thrombectomy service campaigner. I heard first-hand the benefit that she received as a result of accessing thrombectomy services in the days following her stroke five years ago. Kim is now back to work and leads a full and fulfilling life. Without thrombectomy access, Kim's story might have been very different, which highlights the importance of delivering a 24/7 service in order to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland who is eligible can avail themselves of timely medical interventions following strokes, heart attacks and other medical emergencies. The six-hour window following a stroke is critical to a patient's rehabilitation. There should not be a lottery, whereby the quality of care depends on the time of the week that an individual suffers a stroke. Thrombectomy should be as readily available for patients who present at midnight as it is for patients who present at noon. The Department has a duty to the circa 100 people who miss out on access to a thrombectomy every year because of the service's restricted hours. That results in avoidable harm for patients and pressure on our health and social care service. I call on the Minister to move to implement 24/7 thrombectomy services without delay.
236 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.97).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying 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 | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.97 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-qualifying 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 |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.58 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.42 |
| 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 14:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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