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 thank the Member for his supplementary question. It is a very important issue. Having spoken to Dr O'Hagan and some of her colleagues this morning, it is clear that there is at least a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the current arrangements, which is causing some disquiet among general practice doctors.…
I thank the Minister for his answer. Given that the BMA has highlighted the fact that many GP practices have seen no real benefit from the £5 million in the 2024-25 GMS package that was announced by the previous Minister, does he agree that it is important that we get a long-term model of GP indemnity right? If not,…
I thank the Member. I recognise that arrangements for clinical negligence indemnity are a matter of concern for GPs locally. In the financial year 2023-24, £1 million of funding was reallocated from other areas of the general practice budget on a one-off, non-recurrent basis to support GPs with indemnity costs. As…
I thank the Member. On foot of the pseudomonas issue that arose at the maternity hospital at the Royal Victoria Hospital, we are reviewing how every trust monitors the water supply in all their facilities.
As the Speaker suggests, your question has very little relevance to the question posed by Ms Ní Chuilín. I gently say this to you: there were some workforce issues with midwives recently in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, and the trust dealt with those as best as it possibly could handle them. I am not…
Minister, what reassurance can you give midwives at Daisy Hill Hospital's maternity unit who, given recent actions and inaction by the trust, are concerned that your Department and the trust are systematically dismantling maternity services at our hospital in Newry city?
I thank the Member for her question. I stand to be corrected, but I do not believe that the Department played a specific role in the handover. The building was commissioned by the Belfast Trust, and there was a commercial relationship with a contractor. My difficulty is one in a broader sense: the contractor ran some…
The cost of the new hospital has more than doubled since the initial business case was produced. We also know from questioning at the Health Committee that pseudomonas aeruginosa in acceptable levels was present in the water systems at handover. What role did the Department of Health play in the handover? Does the…
I acknowledge what the Member has said. The only potential confidentiality issue would be with who was responsible for PsA being in the water systems in the maternity hospital. There are ongoing discussions about that. The Member may be aware that there previously was an issue with the water systems in the critical…
I thank the Minister for his response. Prior to the latest announcement, I submitted a freedom of information request to ask what the cost of the delay was. I was told by the Belfast Trust that that was commercially sensitive information. Given the vast sums of public money involved, will the Minister commit to…
I thank the Member. During construction of the new maternity hospital at the Royal Victoria, as part of routine monitoring, the contractor reported levels of pseudomonas aeruginosa (PsA) in the domestic water systems. Action was taken to remediate that. The contractor continued to test the water and provided a set of…
I thank the Member for his comments. Yes, I agree with everything that he said. It is a difficult challenge that does not easily lend itself to short-term fixes, but, as I said, hopefully this week and potentially tomorrow, we will start the process by looking at options. I am pleased to see Ema Cubitt in place as the…
Minister, the recent BBC 'Spotlight' programme was incredibly effective and impactful in driving home the challenges and pressures that some families face. Will the Minister commit to leaving no stone unturned in finding a resolution, and does he agree that it is essential for his Department to continue to work with…
I thank the Member for her question. When Professor Bengoa was here last week, in the morning we visited a residential social care site in north Belfast where the point was made to us that there were five beds in the unit but only two were being funded by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. It would be lovely to…
The SDLP recently met the families in the hard-hitting documentary about their lives and how lack of respite services has impacted on them. They referenced facilities that have capacity yet are not fully used. I was going to ask you, Minister, whether money was the simple issue here, but you referred to staffing…
There are two issues that we need to address. One is the physical infrastructure — the houses and residential places that we need — because we do not have enough. Professor Ray Jones has some thoughts about how we should reconfigure. There is also the appropriately trained staff. Even if we had the money and the…
I thank the Minister for his answer. I appreciate that work is ongoing. However, in the debate last week, the Minister acknowledged the documentary 'I Am Not Okay'. Those families and many others will want to know the answer to this question: when will we see increases in respite provision and long-term residential…
I thank the Member. I fully recognise that the current situation is unsustainable. I am determined to see urgent improvements in the area. I am aware that, unfortunately, a significant number of families are on waiting lists to access support services and an increasing number of children with disability are on the…
I thank the Member. One of the strategic priorities of the urgent and emergency care review that was published two years ago was the introduction of local and, ultimately, regional Phone First services that would be akin to the 111 telephone services that operate in other parts of the United Kingdom. Local Phone First…
The Minister will be aware that, often, the sooner a patient can be triaged, the better the outcome is for that patient. Can he provide an update on the work to introduce a telephone triage service locally?
I thank the Member. To address ambulance handover times, which are critical, my Department has taken steps to improve waiting times at emergency departments. Reducing those handover delays has been a key priority because of the impact that it has on the Ambulance Service's capacity to respond to calls in the…
The Minister will be well aware of the overcrowding in A&Es across Northern Ireland, with increased pressures inside the departments and ambulances regularly stacked up outside departments for up to 12 hours. What work is the Department undertaking to reduce average waiting times across our A&E departments?
I thank the Member for his question. I visited Altnagelvin a few weeks ago. We looked at some of the new facilities, and I was updated on the fact that there is a plan for a new emergency department. I will have to write to the Member if he is looking for exact details of what stage that outline business case is at…
I commend the heroic efforts of staff in the emergency department at Altnagelvin. Will the Minister provide an update on the Western Trust's business case for an enhanced emergency department at Altnagelvin?