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.
Minister, in answer to one of the previous supplementary questions, you mentioned use of the independent sector. I completely agree that we must first maximise use of the NHS, but it is right that, should we need to, we use the independent sector. Why can our patients here, especially those who are unable to travel to…
I thank the Member for her question. In answer to questions earlier, I said that one of the good things about serving on multiple Committees in this place is that we get to understand the pressures that everyone else faces. It is probably an early commitment of mine to try to ensure that, as far as we can, there is…
Minister, your predecessor recognised that deprivation and regional inequality have a direct impact on health outcomes. With patients in Altnagelvin Area Hospital facing lengthy waits for hip surgery and everything else, what are you doing to ensure that that inequality is not being compounded by unequal access to…
I thank the Member for his question and for his long-term service on the Health Committee. We absolutely have to deal with patients who have had to wait far too long, but, as Minister, I recognise that we also have to address the underlying capacity problems. That is why funding has been confirmed for additional…
Minister, I welcome the progress that you have made on tackling some of the longest waits. Will you assure the House that, alongside the immediate measures that are being taken to get patients treated, investment is being made in permanent health and social care (HSC) capacity so that we do not simply recreate those…
I thank the Member for raising that matter. All those things remain under constant review, because we have to ensure that public expenditure on provision lines up with policy. The health service exists to provide care for our people, however. Since becoming an MLA, I have been inundated with questions from people who…
Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. For clarity, Mr Kingston, the requirement was reduced from two years to one year after we raised the matter at the Health Committee. We raised it because the money for the reimbursement scheme is not being spent, and it is not being spent because of the qualifying period.…
I thank the Member for the question. He is quite right to raise the issue, because anyone in pain and agony on a waiting list may have to navigate what may seem like a complex system. There has been some uptake of the cross-border initiative but maybe not to previous levels. I give credit to my predecessor, who…
I thank the Minister for that detail. My question quoted information that I received from a Belfast Trust reply, which said that the estimated waiting time is seven to eight years, which alarmed me. I hope that that does not reflect the reality, as the Minister said. The constituent who contacted me has bone-on-bone…
I thank the Member for North Belfast for his question. Approximately 2,200 patients are currently waiting for a routine primary hip replacement across all trusts. That is an 18% reduction in overall waits compared with March 2025, when 2,700 patients were waiting for that procedure. The vast majority of those patients…
It is essential that we reduce waiting times, but we must also improve support for people while they wait, which is what the Member talked about. Services need to ensure that referrals are reviewed according to clinical need and that people whose conditions worsen can be identified and assessed more quickly. Better…
I thank the Minister for his response. Minister, given the progressive nature of many neurological conditions and the need to act quickly when they are discovered, will you outline what steps are being taken to reduce the risk of a deterioration in people's conditions while they wait for that crucial first neurology…
I thank the Member from East Belfast. I know that the Member is significantly interested in the topic, so I was not surprised to see it pop up. It is also close to my heart. My Department has secured £2·3 million in recurrent funding to increase neurology capacity and to begin reducing unacceptably long waits. The…
I thank the Member for welcoming me warmly into the role. Absolutely, you can reach out with those issues. I remember the question that you posed and the pressures that are faced in that paediatric setting. You are quite right: facial palsy has myriad conditions that underpin it right through the age brackets. I…
Minister, you are very welcome to the role. This is the first time that I have asked you a question in your new role, so the best of luck to you. Specifically on paediatric palsy, I am aware of a case involving a family who have had real issues around pathways for paediatric facial palsy. I have written to you about…
I thank the Member for that detailed question. This is a developing service, and the SPPG has entered into wider arrangements with the Belfast Trust and South Eastern Trust to develop those services in a better way. Unfortunately, across the trusts, the people interface service is not done in the same way. It is a…
Minister, previous estimates suggest that between 576 and 750 people here develop facial palsy each year. As was suggested in the two previous questions, I suggest that sufferers have been left behind here. In the absence of a commissioned service, where are patients currently being referred to for specialist…
I thank the Member for her question. It is a fair question to ask. When we look at the Budget allocations and the pressures that we are under, it is absolutely right that every penny needs to be accounted for. One could say that much more needs to be done. The work that the SPPG has done with the limited funding that…
Minister, I have constituents who come to me with this very perplexing problem. Many of them have to pay for their own injections to relieve their facial palsy symptoms. That is extremely taxing on those individuals. You spoke about funding that had been allocated by the South Eastern Trust for the treatment of facial…
I will do my best to answer those three questions, if I can remember what the three of them were. I pay tribute to Janet Robb, who is a phenomenal advocate who is passionate about those services. She has contributed marvellously, as can be seen and heard on the nidirect web video. It is important to understand the…
I thank the Minister for his answer. As this is the first opportunity to do so, I put on record my congratulations to the Minister on his appointment. Minister, you will be aware — I hope that you are aware — that as far back as 2018, the then Health and Social Care Board gave clear assurances to patient advocate…
I thank the Member for his question. A facial palsy regional planning group was established in September 2023. That group developed an action plan, which included the establishment of a local and regional pathway to assist with assessment and treatment. In addition, a new nidirect web page was developed in order to…
Yes, I absolutely do. We have the Good Friday Agreement. My generation's gift was the Good Friday Agreement, and I believe in working it to the nth degree. I believe in it, and I believe in being here every day despite the challenging arrangement that we have. I believe in trying to make politics work despite the…