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MLA Justin McNulty has raised concerns about the impact of planned cuts on the delivery of the long-delayed Newry Community Treatment Centre and on healthcare workers' jobs. Speaking at today's Southern Trust Board meeting where he was the only elected representative in attendance, McNulty addressed proposals from Health Trusts throughout the North who are expected to make savings of up to 12% over three years.
The Newry and Armagh public representative said he appreciated that the financial stresses facing the health service were not easy fixes, and that the Executive's inability to agree to a budget had brought significant uncertainty and instability for the sector's long term financial planning. McNulty said: "Given this reality, I have concerns about the delivery of the long-delayed Newry Community Treatment Centre, the allocation and delivery of care packages, and job security for our invaluable healthcare workers, including porters. These concerns are exacerbated by the announcement of a 12% cut across Trusts over the next three years." McNulty said cleaning staff and porters were vital to the efficient running of hospitals, and that without them sanitation and cleanliness standards would not be upheld, furthering risk for the spread of sickness. He said these workers were necessary and valued, and should not be treated as disposable by the Trusts.
McNulty pressed the Trust on how the cuts would be rolled out, asking how much was currently known about the scale of the cuts and how they would impact service delivery and staffing in the Southern Trust. He also asked what services and areas were most likely to be impacted, and whether lay-offs were part of the plan.
He spoke of funding deficits in the Daisy Hill Hospital Estate already impacting long-delayed project delivery and essential maintenance works, and that further cuts threatened to impact services and disrupt patient care.
The Newry Community Treatment Centre was promised over a decade ago but remains on hold awaiting the release of the Department's ten year capital plan despite the fact that treatment centres in Banbridge and Lisburn have long been operational. He said, "I am concerned that these cuts will follow in this 'last to get, first to lose' trend and that Daisy Hill will be disproportionately impacted. What assurances can be made to healthcare workers that their jobs will be protected? And what assurances can be offered to patients and their families that these cuts will not reduce quality of care?"
The MLA also raised the issue of care packages, saying his office was inundated with families at their wits' end because they were unable to secure a care package for their loved ones. He asked how the Trust would ensure the cuts did not threaten the capacity and provision of care packages, which he said were already stretched thin.
The Trust stated that there are no proposals to make anybody redundant, but noted that some new or unoccupied roles may not be filled.
