NI health suffers from cash crisis

22 Nov 01
Northern Ireland's health service has been thrown into crisis by a cash shortage, according to Dr Joe Hendron, chair of the Assembly's health committee.

23 November 2001

Symptoms of the problem, said Hendron, are the growing waiting lists, particularly for heart surgery; the failure to open newly built cardiac surgery facilities at Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast; serious shortages of nurses across the province; and the cancellation of 9% of outpatient appointments.

'Some hospitals are doing hardly any elective surgery,' he said. 'All they can do is cope with acute surgery.'

The Royal Victoria confirmed that it was unable to open three new wards until the next financial year because of lack of funds. It added that all hospitals across the province were facing similar pressures and implementing contingency plans to save money.

Social services are also in crisis because of lack of funds. Trusts' annual budget for wheelchairs for patients has been exceeded in the first six months of the year.

'There are major financial problems in the health service on a daily basis across Northern Ireland,' said Hendron. 'The situation is very serious. There are deficits and cuts all over the place.'

England and Wales receive much higher additional health spending per capita, he argued, although Northern Ireland has a much higher morbidity rate.

He said that as well as insufficient funding, cash problems arose because the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety had not made sufficient efficiency savings through streamlining structures. There are four area boards and 19 trusts for a population similar to that of Greater Birmingham.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Mark Durkan allocated an emergency £8m for health services, but gave an extra £12m to the culture department and £10m to the employment and learning departments which also had large deficits.

A spokeswoman for the health department said she was unable to comment on its financial situation. But last month a spokesman did admit: 'The reality is that the department does not have the funding it needs to meet all the demands faced by the NHS.'

PFnov2001

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