Leaving Northern Ireland health service without an Executive this winter 'unconscionable', says Alliance MLA

Alliance health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw made the comment on Wednesday afternoon, after the Health Minister Robin Swann warned another extremely difficult winter ahead.

Mr Swann updated MLAs on “the winter resilience planning being undertaken across the system”, a spokesperson for his department said.

The minister said: “Health and social care services have been under extreme stress and are likely to remain so for a considerable period. The pressures we used to see mainly in winter months are now being experienced all year round. With winter approaching, those pressures are likely to worsen with COVID-19 cases expected to rise, alongside increased levels of flu and other respiratory infections.”

Ms Bradshaw, meanwhile, said the minister’s statement gave clarity around some of the immense challenges ahead.

“There are some positives contained within it, such as around day procedure centres and the utilisation of all available facilities in Northern Ireland to maximise capacity,” she said.

“However, the vast array of issues in primary care, social care and community pharmacy are only touched upon even by this statement. Other actions notified in this statement are welcome, but are too late to have an impact over the coming months. What is in fact required is a comprehensive Executive plan across all Departments, focused on patients, service users and the population as a whole to promote well-being, prevent ill-health and provide rapid response throughout the months of crisis which lie ahead.”

She continued: “Alliance has advocated more rapid transformation to a model based around promoting health across the whole population, better pay and conditions for staff, and constant attention to service improvement and patient safety.”

And on the absence of a fully functioning Executive, the Alliance MLA said: “It is unconscionable any other party, rather than contributing to the task of supporting and helping people through the troubling period ahead, would be ignoring its responsibilities and instead playing electoral politics at the precise moment when people desperately need parties working together in the public interest, not least to ensure the health system can continue to provide vital treatment and support under unprecedented pressure.

"This statement is a further reminder what people in Northern Ireland need is a government, not yet another election.”