Winter health plan published with warning that patients will face delays

Mr May made the comments as a winter plan was published at Stormont to mitigate the challenges.

Representatives from health trusts, general practice, community pharmacy and social care attended the summit on Wednesday.

The plan includes strengthening systems to provide alternatives to hospital emergency departments and increased funding for general medical and out of hours GP services.

Northern Ireland's health service is facing significant budget pressures and currently has the longest hospital waiting lists in the UK. No health minister is in place while the powersharing institutions remain suspended.

Mr May said: "Winter causes difficulties for all health services and we know that our system in Northern Ireland will face severe challenges.

"The measures set out today in this winter plan can undoubtedly help mitigate the pressures in Northern Ireland but they cannot eradicate them.

"Addressing these challenges substantively requires long-term planning and budgetary certainty.

"While the current environment does not provide these, we are taking the steps we can both for this winter and beyond within the severe budgetary constraints that exist.

In the immediate future, the focus this winter has to be on all parts of the health and social care system working together.

"Even with these mitigation efforts, the system will inevitably be operating above capacity over a sustained period, leading to too many patients facing delays for care.

"Everyone in the health and care system will once again work relentlessly to prioritise and treat the sickest people quickest.

"I would appeal today to the public to support staff. They are working under conditions that are not of their making or choosing. Please assist them by being patient and kind and by using services appropriately. That includes co-operating with hospital discharge processes when you or a loved one are medically fit to leave hospital."

Investments and initiatives in the 2034/24 Winter Preparedness Plan include:

- Strengthening the urgent and emergency care system to provide alternatives to hospital emergency departments;

- £3.4 million in funding for general medical services and out of hours services to support GP practices increase their capacity in light of the anticipated increase in demand;

- Northern Ireland Ambulance Service increasing the range and capacity of clinical expertise within ambulance emergency control to help ensure cases are appropriately managed;

- Enhanced hospital capacity. An additional 48 beds have been opened in Antrim area hospital in 2023, while 45 beds opened for last winter in the Ulster hospital will continue to be funded. The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children has increased its bed capacity by five;

- £4.3 million to support GP practices across Northern Ireland to provide proactive support and care to those in nursing and residential care homes;

- Rolling out the pharmacy first pilot service for uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in women aged 16-64. This will expand from the current pilot of 62 community pharmacies to the entire pharmacy network of more than 500 pharmacies across Northern Ireland, through an investment of £410,000;

- Allocating £265,000 to a new pharmacy first sore throat "test and treat" service, which is being piloted this winter. This will be delivered in 40 pharmacies;

- HSC trusts will jointly establish a regional control system which will have responsibility for ensuring system wide co-ordination for managing pressures;

- Trusts have been allocated recurrent funding of £697,000 to establish early review teams by October 2023. These teams will be responsible for completing reassessments of need within two to eight weeks of hospital discharge, with the aim of releasing capacity back into system if the patient's needs have reduced following return home;

- Performance targets have been detailed in the winter plan, covering ambulance handover times and simple and complex discharges. Performance against these targets will be published every two weeks on the DoH website from October 30 to March 2024.