Every imported question, contribution and motion, with its classification. Unflagged, uncertain and not-yet-analysed records are all included so the analysis can be checked independently.
I am the father of one of the babies born in the Southern Trust in the past year. I pay tribute to the incredible professionalism of maternity staff in the Southern Trust. I welcome the fact that the Minister wants to be candid with the Assembly. With that in mind, is there any other area of healthcare provision in…
I thank the Minister. Given the importance of the matter and the concerns that there will be, what assessments will be made of increased travel times for expectant mums?
I thank the Minister. There can be no more important duty on any health service than ensuring the safe delivery of babies and protecting their mothers' lives in giving birth. An "emerging" challenge this is not, with issues first arising in October 2024. Does the Minister realise that he and his Department have a duty…
Women in Northern Ireland are continually being let down by the Department of Health. There is no women's health action plan, despite one being promised two and a half years ago; breast cancer waiting time targets are consistently failing to be met; and now this. Minister, put simply, has the system collapsed?
There are a lot of factors at play to explain why we are where we are. The political stagnation that resulted from five years of not having Ministers to drive change in any of our Departments has led to a lot of what is now happening. There is a belief, and it is probably a heartfelt belief, predominantly in the…
I thank the Member for that. I appreciate the question, but I will repeat what I said to the Member on the Benches opposite. It is not just reviews that have led to stagnation but the fact that we did not have Stormont for five years out of the past 10 and the fact that we did not have —.
Minister, when it comes to staffing levels and the knock-on effect on other hospitals and trust areas, there are parallels to be drawn with other services, and that concerns me greatly. I asked you earlier about emergency general surgery at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), where we have heard the same things…
I thank the Member for those multiple questions. You are being lenient today, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Mrs Dillon for her kind words in welcoming me to my role. There is not a lot that I disagree with there, but I remember that we were not here in 2018; in fact, from 2018 until 2023, we lost five years in this…
Minister, this is my first opportunity to welcome you to your new post. I neglected to do so earlier, so apologies for that. Minister, the Mary Renfrew report was referred to. You said that we need to look at how we resolve the issue and find a solution. The solution is there: the Mary Renfrew report. That is the…
Thank you. I appreciate that. Congratulations on giving birth at Daisy Hill. It is a fantastic hospital, and I absolutely value its place in the community there. The people of that area are passionate about their hospital and rightly so, and I understand the devastation that will be felt by some of the staff members…
Minister, you talk about four weeks, but the move to push maternity services out of Daisy Hill Hospital has been going on for years. Rural south Down sees that as a critical service. I had my three children there. It would leave people in my constituency needing over an hour and a half to get to their nearest…
I thank the Member for her question. As she has set out well, how expectant mothers receive the news needs to be handled sensitively. Those who are due within the next few weeks will be able to use Daisy Hill Hospital safely. However, for those who are at 26, 28 or 32 weeks, this will cause concern. That is why it is…
I appreciate your being here, Minister, to give a bit of clarity on the situation. Sinn Féin has been consistent when it comes to Daisy Hill. In particular, after it emerged that the consultants were leaving, my party and constituency colleague Liz Kimmins made it clear to you and the trust that Daisy Hill maternity…
Will you increase training places for obstetrics and gynaecology so that we can increase the number of students who will train and work here in the long term?
I thank the Member for his words. He is absolutely right to pitch his question in such a way. My commitment is that it is my ambition and that of the Department to retain the maternity service at Daisy Hill. What I cannot do is magic up an obstetrician, unfortunately, much as I would like to. I can say, however, that…
Minister, you will be aware that Daisy Hill has suffered continually from temporary withdrawals of services. That has been the case for as long as I can remember and for as long as I have been in public life. People will therefore feel that the playbook is being reached for once again. You will recall that, earlier in…
Minister, in your statement, you said that: "Daisy Hill requires a minimum of eight consultant obstetricians to maintain a safe and sustainable rota, including the necessary on-call cover." What is the actual consultant capacity available to staff on the Daisy Hill rota today? Precisely how many additional consultants…
Minister, your Department and your predecessor welcomed the maternity review completed two years ago by Mary Renfrew. The recommendations in that review would have ensured that maternity care was delivered differently and, potentially, allowed hospitals to have a more community-led approach. When will you implement…
That Dodds sandwich has about six layers. Again, I do not criticise the Member for her questions, because they are all valid. When I have talked to clinicians, I have found that they say different things. The clinicians do not agree on what is best and how things can be configured. However, there was a widespread…
I thank the Minister. Many of those listening to the statement today, and those who have read the trust's statement earlier, will find that there is not a lot new in it. We have known about the staffing pressures at Daisy Hill for a very long time. Indeed, the document reads like a case for consolidating services in…
The people of Newry, south Down and south Armagh have heard the words "contingency" and "temporary measures" before, and they will be sceptical. Maternity services are vital, and any temporary removal of them will be rigorously challenged. The trust said that it intends to retain inpatient maternity services at Daisy…
Once again, a vital service is being threatened with removal from a rural community, not as part of an ambitious plan for transformation but after years of warnings about staffing pressures and the Department's failure to address them. The Executive have had two and a half years to deliver the transformation they…
I wish to update the Assembly on an emerging and serious workforce challenge that is affecting inpatient maternity services at Daisy Hill Hospital. By now, Members may have seen the statement that the Southern Health and Social Care Trust issued earlier this afternoon. I will be clear from the outset about the current…
On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. On behalf of the Opposition, I would be grateful for guidance from the Speaker's Office on the decision of the Speaker or a Deputy Speaker to interrupt a Member who is asking a question. On several occasions today, official Opposition Members were noticeably curtailed in asking…
I thank the Member for her question. It was a sad indictment of society when we saw that unrest affect care delivery. I remember listening to the former Health Minister talk about an experience that was relayed to him, and it was one of deep regret. I know, however, that the Department has been constructively engaging…