Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has described the pressures currently facing the country’s health service as “dire and diabolical”. Speaking as MLAs returned to the assembly after winter recess, O’Neill said the situation was difficult for both patients and staff: “One minister will not solve that, there needs to be a collective effort,” she remarked. Echoing her comments, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt agreed on the need for reform and announced plans to expand flu vaccinations to the 50-64 age group while also seeking to increase wages for social care workers.
The issue of increased ambulance waiting times featured in a debate within the assembly with some calling for more to be done to alleviate the current situation. Patients are waiting longer to be admitted to Northern Ireland’s nine emergency departments, with more than 1,000 waiting to be treated in total. Hospitals are experiencing difficulties discharging patients as social care is stretched, exacerbating the strain on emergency rooms.
Nesbitt claims that the issues stem from an inadequate budget, stating: “If you’re told the budget is entirely inadequate to meet the needs of the HSC service, and then vote for it, despite the warning, and then complain about the consequences of your decision, are you comfortable taking that position?” O’Neill added: “We know what the challenges are and the issue of discharges into social care aren’t there – that’s what I want the executive to talk about”. Dr Michael Perry from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine stated that departments are experiencing pressures “at the worst we’ve ever been” with a 12-hour wait for a bed estimated to be a “conservative estimate”.
A consultant surgeon from the Northern Ireland Confederation for Health and Social Care (NICON), Professor Mark Taylor, has said the country’s emergency departments have been in the midst of a “perfect storm” due to ongoing “immense pressure” and flu. He also added that at 10:00 GMT on Saturday, there were 532 people throughout NI hospitals who were medically fit for discharge but could not be discharged into the community. The Department of Health has said that long-term solutions to the problems require sustained investment and reform
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