Debate contribution: Multidisciplinary Teams in GP Practices: North Belfast

Debate contribution by Mr Brian Kingston on 21 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Brian Kingston

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

21 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Multidisciplinary Teams in GP Practices: North Belfast

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5498142

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of multidisciplinary teams in North Belfast, and I thank Carál for bringing the matter to the Floor of the Assembly. MDTs are widely recognised as being central to the future sustainability of primary healthcare. There is no doubt that MDTs represent an important reform of our health system. By embedding professionals such as physiotherapists, social workers and mental health practitioners directly into GP practices, we are moving towards a more preventative, accessible and patient-centred model of care. I welcome the fact that £61 million was secured for MDTs from the transition fund for the next four years, and I particularly welcome the fact that North Belfast has been included in this phase of the roll-out. The Health Minister confirmed in a reply to me that the plan was to introduce MDTs in 18 of the 21 GP practices in North Belfast in the last financial year and the remainder in this financial year, subject to premises' readiness, with the aim of providing early intervention, reducing health inequalities and improving well-being through accessible, high-quality services. However, while the ambition is clear, the reality on the ground in North Belfast is more complex. A number of GP practices in North Belfast that I engaged with agree that MDTs are the right reform but said that roll-out in North Belfast has been too slow, inconsistent and under-resourced. Roll-out depends on premises' readiness, workforce availability in those disciplines and funding. Practices have reported a lack of social workers and mental health staff and delays to or lack of clarity on funding, and many GP buildings are not fit for MDT expansions. As a result, they cannot recruit, plan or deliver the intended benefits. They also highlight the impact of cross-boundary demand from West Belfast in particular, which, of course, has a high level of demand itself.

That has placed an extra strain on the delivery of MDTs, distorting planning and overloading certain practices. Where MDTs are working well, they reduce GP workload, provide faster access, especially to physiotherapy, and provide early intervention and better patient outcomes. It is the right model, and the progress is welcome. However, a key challenge is that delivery is conditional and not guaranteed. Many practices have not yet experienced a full roll-out of MDT services, and there is growing frustration, not with the model but with the pace and consistency of delivery. From what I hear, there are simply not enough social workers on the ground at present, but that cannot become a reason for continued delay. I will highlight the issue of funding reaching GP practices. Practices tell me that, even where roll-out is planned, funding does not always flow in a timely or practical way, and that makes it difficult to plan, recruit and deliver services effectively. I am also deeply concerned about what, I am told, is a current freeze on a full MDT roll-out, which, I understand, is to remain in place until January next year. The Minister can confirm what is happening in that regard. It must be urgently addressed, because, even when approval is given, recruitment takes time. In many cases, the roles are highly skilled. Staff must be recruited from other parts of the system, and notice periods are often three months or more, so any delay today becomes a delay in delivery many months down the line. Despite those challenges, I want to be clear that having MDTs is the right approach. Where they are operating well, as I said, they reduce pressure on GPs and provide better outcomes, but progress must now match ambition. I therefore call on the Minister to lift the current freeze on MDT roll-out as a matter of urgency; to ensure that funding is released directly and promptly to GP practices; to invest in workforce planning, particularly for social workers and those in mental health roles; to provide a clear, time-bound and full roll-out across all North Belfast practices; and to ensure fairness and capacity, particularly in areas facing cross-boundary demand. Our GP practices are under sustained pressure. They are doing everything that they can to support their communities, but they cannot do it alone. There must be no more delays. Our practices need that support now. North Belfast cannot wait.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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