Mike Nesbitt is set to attend an emergency meeting of Stormont’s health committee as pressure mounts on Northern Ireland’s hospitals.
Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister took to social media earlier today to say that the health minister would be attending a meeting tomorrow and also demanded action to assist staff and protect patients while suggesting that problems could get even worse.
“The pressures on A&E and ambulance services [over] the past few days, whilst not new, we know they may not be yet at the winter pressure peak – we need action on how best to help staff & patients,” the North Belfast representative posted on X.
SDLP health spokesperson Colin McGrath said the whole executive “must take responsibility for the current crisis” within the health service ahead of the meeting on Tuesday.
The South Down MLA accused all ministers of ignoring “repeated warnings” from hospital staff.
“The emergency meeting of the health committee is all well and good, but I would ask the executive parties how this meeting will help those currently waiting hours in an emergency department,” he said.
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“What we really need to see is executive ministers around the table to sort this mess out.
“We are in this position now because the executive and the health minister did not heed warnings from those within our health service that we were facing the most difficult winter yet.”
Mr McGrath said Mr Nesbitt’s own winter preparedness plan didn’t even appear until November when it was “decried by many as ‘too little, too late’.”
“Instead of reacting to that, the executive sat on their hands and walked straight into the very situation they were warned about,” he continued.
“Executive parties then spent the festive period point scoring from the sidelines, instead of working together to produce emergency interventions that may alleviate the current crisis.
“Ultimately, it is the Executive parties’ failure to seriously implement the much-needed health service transformation that has left us in this position and unless they begin this process we will find ourselves in the same crisis again next year.
“Having seen their performance in 2024, it’s hard to have confidence that the new year will bring the change we need within our health service and until that happens patients and staff will continue to be failed.“
It comes after the health minister admitted emergency departments (EDs) are “not in a good position” to deal with ongoing winter pressures and expressed fears for the days and weeks ahead.
Seasonal flu outbreaks and respiratory illnesses resulted in around 400 people waiting on hospital beds in NI last week.
Mr Nesbitt said past modelling “would suggest that’s not going to peak for another one to two weeks so we are not in a good position at all.”
Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly also blamed the crisis on a lack of preparation and demand an update from the health minister.
“It’s clear that winter planning [has] been a failure,” he posted on X.
“Patients are facing unacceptable waits for treatment and staff are under huge pressure. I have written to the minister asking him to bring forward a statement to the Assembly on this as soon as possible.”
Last week the vice chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine warned the situation in EDs is “as bad as it’s ever been” and said there was no more space for patients.
Dr Michael Perry also claimed staff are fearful of what is to come as waiting times exceeded 12 hours.
The current cold snap could make things worse.
The head of a charity for the elderly has warned that plummeting temperatures could have serious consequences for pensioners.
Age NI chief executive Linda Robinson said prolonged exposure to cold temperatures could have a serious impact on older people’s health as she urged them not to cut back on heat or food.
Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned the icy blast could put the elderly at risk of death as it issued cold weather health alerts in England with those aged 65 and over, or those with health conditions, most at risk.
Mr Nesbitt and communities minister Gordon Lyons have both urged the public to avail of advice and services that can help them “keep warm and keep well” in a joint statement.
In it they urged the public to seek early treatment for minor illnesses by availing of local pharmacies – which can provide advice and even write prescriptions – and to check what support is available through statutory agencies and the voluntary and community sectors.
Further information can be found on the NI Direct website’s Staying Warm in Winter section.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.