Health leaders say 'unacceptable crisis in danger of becoming normal' and request urgent meeting with Secretary of State

The crisis meeting letter has been co-signed by the Northern Ireland leads for the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Royal College of Anaesthetists and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

In a joint statement, the senior health leaders said they are calling for a meeting with Chris Heaton-Harris without delay and acknowledged the efforts of the Department of Health at Stormont in doing their best to make decisions whilst bearing in mind the accountability deficit and associated civil service limitations.

“In the absence of a functioning Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, we find ourselves in an impossible situation,” they said. “Nursing staff are leaving in droves because of unsafe staffing levels. General practice is in crisis and at risk of total collapse. All of the above means staff are suffering from moral injury, anxiety and burnout. We have no other political avenue but to ask for this meeting. Our patients and colleagues deserve this chance for their concerns to be heard.”

The statement continues: “On a daily basis, we see the real dangers of normalising the unacceptable. It is now commonplace to see patients receiving corridor care. Ambulances are regularly stacked up outside waiting to offload very sick patients. There are patients waiting huge delays for care to start in crowded Emergency Departments. Patients are being admitted for surgery that cannot be undertaken in routine circumstances anymore.”