Doug Beattie: Military on standby to help NI NHS if needed

This comes as the number of coronavirus patients in hospital approaches record levels, with dozens in intensive care requiring ventilators while thousands of health trust staff are absent after coming into contact with the virus.

On Wednesday, the Western Trust confirmed that patients are being forced to wait outside in poor weather conditions before being admitted to the emergency department at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry.

UUP MLA Mr Beattie, a decorated Army veteran, said he is confident Health Minister Robin Swann will call for military assistance before the NHS is brought to the point of collapse.

The minister, Mr Beattie’s party colleague, requested military assistance during the first wave of the pandemic.

Military assistance has been seen elsewhere in the UK during the pandemic, most notably in the delivery of medical equipment and the deployment of a 4,000-bed field hospital in London.

DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment, said his party would support a call for military assistance from the Stormont health department.

Mr Beattie, speaking to the News Letter, said: “When we’re asking people to protect our NHS so it doesn’t get overwhelmed, what we’re really saying is protect our NHS so it does not collapse. The moment the emergency departments can no longer cope, the NHS has collapsed.

“If it’s on the verge of collapsing, of course the military or any other asset should be used to prevent that happening.”

Mr Beattie continued: “The military is always on standby for military aid to the civil community. They’re always ready, and if the need arises what happens is the Executive, or Robin Swann, will put in a request for military aid.

“The issue is going to be has Robin and his Department of Health and the NHS exhausted everything?

“If that means bringing in doctors and medics from Great Britain, or using medics and doctors from Northern Ireland, then they will do that.

“Without a doubt I am confident Robin would put in that request if it was necessary.”

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, meanwhile, said: “The first step that needs to be taken is to ramp up the Nightingale provision in Northern Ireland to ensure that if additional ICU capacity is required it is put in place immediately.

“If there are pressures on the health system in terms of staff who need to isolate due to the virus, then I think the minister should keep open the option of calling in the support of the armed forces to augment his workforce capacity within the health service, to cope with any additional pressures that may arise.

“We would be supportive of the involvement of our armed forces in supporting the health service should this be required.”

The Lagan Valley MP added: “We are content to leave it to the health minister and his advisors to determine the appropriate time to call in additional support.”