Debate contribution: Healthcare: Integrated 111 Service

Debate contribution by Ms Sinéad McLaughlin on 18 May 2026.

MLA

Ms Sinéad McLaughlin

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

18 May 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Healthcare: Integrated 111 Service

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5548828

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members across the House for their contributions to the debate. It has come through clearly that there is a recognition across the Chamber that our urgent and emergency care system is under serious and sustained pressure and that people are increasingly frustrated by how difficult it can be to access the right care at the right time. As an MLA for Foyle, I see the reality of that pressure every week through conversations with constituents, with patients and with staff in Altnagelvin Hospital, and I know the dedication and professionalism of the staff working there. They have continued to provide outstanding care in incredibly difficult working conditions, often dealing with overcrowding, workforce pressures and growing demand. The staff at Altnagelvin are doing everything that they can do to keep the system moving, as staff are doing throughout the rest of Northern Ireland, but they are carrying the weight of pressures that have been building for years. I think that everyone in the House recognises that front-line healthcare workers cannot continue being asked to absorb rising demand without meaningful reform and proper support around them. The reality is that too many people currently find themselves trying to navigate a healthcare system that feels fragmented and difficult to access — many Members referred to that today — particularly when they are worried, vulnerable and in urgent need of care. People are often unsure exactly whether they should contact their GP, attend the out-of-hours service, seek advice from a pharmacist or go directly to an emergency department. In many cases, they end up attending emergency departments because they simply do not know where else to turn to or because they are unable to access the timely support elsewhere in the system. That too has been referred to throughout the debate. That has contributed to the growing pressures across urgent and emergency care, longer waiting times and increasing frustration for patients and staff alike. That is why the SDLP brought the motion to the Floor today. It is not because we are pretending that a 111 service will solve every challenge facing our healthcare system but because we believe that it can form an important part of a wider transformation agenda. Philip McGuigan made that clear. We need to focus on prevention, on early intervention and on helping people to access care more carefully. A Northern Ireland-wide 111 service would provide people with a single accessible point of contact when they need urgent healthcare, and I agree with Diane Dodds that it would need to be efficient and properly staffed from its conception. It would offer clinically led triage and help to direct people towards the most appropriate service, whether that is a GP, a pharmacy, urgent care, mental health support or, where necessary, an emergency department. At its core, the proposal is about making the system easier for people to navigate and helping to ensure that they get the right care at the right time. It is also important to stress that this is not about replacing services or downgrading emergency departments; it is about improving how people move through the system and reducing unnecessary pressure where possible. Danny Donnelly, I think, spoke about the inability of patients to move in and out of the system and about allowing patients to leave hospital safely: we agree with that. We can also look at how we support patients in how they enter the system, and that is really what we are discussing today. If somebody can receive appropriate advice and support without having to spend hours waiting in an emergency department, that is better for the patient and better for the wider health service. As we know from other regions, the integrated 111 service can play an important role in supporting community care and reducing pressure on front-line services when they are properly connected into wider healthcare pathways. Of course, Members have rightly made the point throughout the debate that the 111 service cannot operate in isolation, and I agree with that entirely. Its effectiveness depends on wider integration with primary care, community services, mental health support and social care provision. If those parts of the system are under and remain under pressure, any urgent care reform will struggle to deliver to its full potential. That is why the motion is linked firmly to the Executive's wider shift-left agenda. As Alan Chambers indicated, the problems in our health system did not happen overnight. For years, we have heard commitments about prevention, early intervention and strengthening care in communities. If we are serious about delivering that transformation, we need practical reforms that help to connect people with services earlier and more effectively. Alan Robinson spoke about patients having to manoeuvre sometimes complex and confusing pathways. A 111 service has the potential to become an important part of the approach to creating a simpler and more joined-up front door to healthcare. There is an important wider point here about accessibility and public confidence. Healthcare should not be or feel confusing. People should not feel that they need to understand the internal workings of a system before they can even get help. For many people, especially old or vulnerable people or those already dealing with stress and anxiety, trying to figure out something or where they can turn to becomes another barrier to accessing care and the system. The proposal is about removing some of those barriers and creating a system that feels more responsive, more connective and easier to navigate. The debate has shown that there is support across the Chamber for moving that conversation forward. Members understand that people want to see practical improvements that make a difference to their everyday experiences. The motion calls on the Minister to bring forward proposals for a wider 111 service by September 2026. Time is running out — the clock is ticking — and that is a reasonable ask. Following the debate, I hope that the Minister recognises that support.

OK.

Absolutely. Claire Sugden articulated clearly the human reality of our emergency departments. She said that, when people were worried about their health or the health of someone whom they love, they should not be left trying to navigate a fragmented system on their own. I am disappointed by the Minister's remarks about establishing a 111 service. Minister, I know that it is a major transformation project and that it is not possible without funding, workforce plans and resources, which, you say, you do not have. However, referring people to the Phone First service will not address the issues that we are raising today. We need another front door that helps people into the system. I welcome your offer that your door is open, but the door being open and doing things are two different things. People deserve a healthcare system that works for them. The motion is ambitious. We cannot trundle along the way we are. It causes real harm and, sometimes, premature deaths. While a 111 service is not the full solution, it is certainly a contributor to a long-term solution. I urge Members to support the motion.

1,189 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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