Robin Swann
North Antrim · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his detailed statement. I know how passionate he is about the subject and how many times he has brought it to the Executive.”
“It has been reported that today will potentially be the warmest day of the year. As we move into the summer and our summer holidays, I want to raise public awareness of wildfires across Northern Ireland, which have been detrimental to farmland and our environment over the past number of years.”
“Wildfires are still having a detrimental impact on our environment and, occasionally, on livestock, but that reduction shows the impact of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service's proactive approach to educating the general public and engaging with rural communities and schools on its fire safety message, which is to stay alert, not…”
“There has been a lot of talk of sport in this place over the past few days, with everybody concentrating on UEFA. One sport that is going on across Northern Ireland at the minute is cross-community and goes across all age groups without fear, favour or distinction: pigeon racing.”
“I want to put on record that, since this place passed the amendment that recognised pigeon racing as a sport under the 2016 Act, over the past five years, pigeon racing clubs across Northern Ireland have been able to obtain £113,000 of rates rebates through the sports and recreation rate relief, allowing many of those clubs to continue ra…”
“There was much coverage on social media over the weekend of an incident in Staines in England, in which a police car rammed a young calf to bring it under control. It has restarted the conversation about animal cruelty. <BR /> <BR />I am dealing with a specific case in my constituency.”
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“It is a matter of deep worry for me and should bring real inner reflection to all who serve in this place that so many people have been waiting for so long for diagnosis, treatment and support. As Members have said, those are real people. They are our constituents, our friends, our families and, indeed, our Assembly colleagues. <BR /> <BR />When someone joins a waiting list, their condition does not stand still — Mrs Erskine addressed that point in her intervention — and additional complications and additional needs come with being on a waiting list that is not fully resourced or supported. It is incumbent on me as Health Minister and, collectively, on us all to ensure that we do everything that we possibly can to address our waiting lists. Fundamental to that is having a clear, time-bound, deliverable action plan.”
“The Opposition Member would not take an intervention when he was talking about 2014 and all the programmes and strategies that were set in place. I wanted to point out to him that the Department of Health has not had a recurrent budget since 2015. We have been working on single-year budgets for the entire time since then, which has not allowed many of the strategies to be fully implemented. It is not that they are sitting there, doing nothing, but that the recurrent funding has not been there to support them. <BR /> <BR />Over the years, a lot of words have been written and spoken about the state of our waiting lists. I do not intend to repeat all of those, but I agree with many of them.”
“Thank you, Principal Deputy Speaker. I welcome you to your post and look forward to working with you. <BR /> <BR />I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion, not only to address all the many important issues that have been highlighted but to thank colleagues for the positive, collegiate approach that has been taken to the motion and its important topic. I thank Members for their contributions, and I look forward to working with the Health Committee and the Opposition as we tackle the issues together. <BR /> <BR />I fully agree that it is deplorable that the waiting list targets have not been met since 2014. The people of Northern Ireland are not receiving the care that they deserve on a timely and effective basis.”
“While a range of factors can impact on the delivery of care, the key objective, which we should all look to, is to meet the assessed needs of the service user, whether care is provided by the statutory sector or the independent sector. I recognise the importance of ensuring that patients receive the right care, at the right time and in the right place. I assure all Members that my Department will continue to work in partnership with all relevant stakeholders to progress plans for those vital services.”
“There is also a workstream that looks at commissioning and contracting, because we are cognisant of the mix between independent providers and our statutory care system. Workstream 7 looks at the role of carers, which was mentioned in the House today. The last one is on supported living, which goes back to Mr Frew's point about the move to support people in their houses.”
“A number of workstreams have been established across a range of issues that have come from the forum. <BR /> <BR />So that Members are aware, I will go through those eight workstreams. One looks at maximising capacity. Another looks at workforce development, which many Members referred to. There is a workstream on enhancing care in care homes, because it all is part of an integral system. There is a workstream on data research and evidence, so that anything that comes forward comes with that experience as well. There is one on communications because all of us, as constituency representatives, see that communication between health trusts, families and carers is vital to ensuring that people are content that the support that they need is there.”
“<BR /> <BR />It came across in Members' contributions that now really is the time to move forward and look at how we can meaningfully affect that positive change and improvements in the social care sector in Northern Ireland. I am pleased to advise that the good work that is already under way will, I believe, help to achieve those aims. To that end, as I mentioned in response to the previous intervention and as Members may be aware, in 2023, my Department established a social care collaborative forum, the purpose of which is to provide a formal mechanism for the Department and representatives of social care across the statutory, voluntary and community and private sectors to work together as partners in order to build shared values and deliver improvements in social care.”
“Certainly. I thank the Member for his contribution. I referred to the interest that has been shown in the Adjournment debate. It shows the passion and commitment that we all, as elected representatives, have in the topic. <BR /> <BR />In 2023-24, the regional domiciliary care rate that is paid to independent care sector providers actually increased to £18·54 per hour. Work is ongoing to consider what the regional rate for 2024-25 will look like. Although my Department cannot actually mandate the rate of pay or the terms and conditions that the independent sector providers offer to their employees, any uplift to the rate would be expected — I would expect this — to be reflected in the pay or terms and conditions of their staff.”
“I place on record my sincere appreciation to those staff for the integral role that they play in Health and Social Care. The system would simply not operate without their dedication and commitment. Indeed, I recognise the need for action to support the sector and those who work in it. I have stated that my immediate priority is to see pay negotiations taken forward and concluded without undue delay for our healthcare workers in the statutory sector.”
“I thank the Member for his comment. Shortly, I will come on to talk about that with regard to the forum, which l initiated and which is now running in the Department to look at eight workstreams. <BR /> <BR />My officials continue to work to maximise capacity in social care and to engage with service providers in order to address those ongoing issues of not only recruitment but retention. That is possible only, as, I think, Ms Eastwood mentioned, with that skilled and dedicated domiciliary care workforce. I understand the importance of reward and recognition in the recruitment and retention of staff in the sector. I am also cognisant of the ongoing challenges that relate to the increased costs in providers' day-to-day expenditure. <BR /> <BR />Over 75% of home care is provided by the independent sector.”
“Clearly, any increase in the number of care packages that are provided must also have appropriate staffing levels that are commensurate with that additional provision.”
“I understand fully the many challenges that result from the demand, which outstrips the available supply, for care packages. That has a knock-on effect, as many Members referenced. It delays discharges from hospitals and affects the availability of our hospital beds. Accessing domiciliary care packages for patients at the point of a hospital discharge remains a challenge for our health and social care trusts. As Members referenced, our health service in Northern Ireland is a circular system, so when pressure comes at one point, it has such knock-on effects. <BR /> <BR />It has also been mentioned that there is no easy solution. Our staffing levels continue to be a significant challenge across Health and Social Care, particularly in the allocation and delivery of care packages.”
“As has been said, the trust has contracts with 22 independent sector providers, including three new providers who signed contracts in the past year. That is a positive step, but I accept that more needs to be done. <BR /> <BR />It is important to note that the pressures and challenges faced by the Northern Trust in the provision of domiciliary care packages are, as I said, a regional issue that all five health and social care trusts are experiencing, and all are experiencing the same factors.”
“<BR /> <BR />Mr Deputy Speaker, I do not do this job without thinking about it. As an MLA whose constituency is in the Northern Trust area, I think that the engagement and support that we get from the top down in that trust— starting with the chief executive — in dealing with cases make it an exemplar to other trusts, and we heard about the challenges that they are facing. However, it is not a solution to everything that they need or that we want. <BR /> <BR />I advise Members — as Mr Buchanan said, I have already responded to him in writing — that the Northern Trust has commenced a contract with a new independent sector provider for the mid-Ulster area, and the trust anticipates that that will increase capacity in that locality.”
“As a result, the Northern Trust has experienced unprecedented levels of demand across a range of services. Unfortunately — this point was raised —I am advised that the trust is seeing an increasing trend of external providers handing back services due to their inability, as many Members mentioned, to recruit and retain staff. The mid-Ulster locality has been particularly impacted by issues concerning the recruitment and retention of staff, and I am aware that a number of Members have engaged directly with the Northern Trust on behalf of their constituents. Ms Sheerin's passion in her opening comments was telling, but it was not just about her passion; it was her understanding of the needs of the people who come forward to domiciliary care and of the people who work in it.”
“The trust has reviewed the systems of its in-house home care service in order to improve efficiency and to deliver higher levels of face-to-face time with service users. As was referenced — Mrs Cameron mentioned it in her closing comments — he Northern Trust covers a quarter of the population of Northern Ireland, but it also includes over 27% of the region's people who are over 75, so it covers a wider proportion of the group requiring domiciliary care. It is that population base that generates the majority of demand for unscheduled care and community services. <BR /> <BR />As Dr Aiken said in his contribution, demographics are also an important consideration, and that cohort of the population has grown by 17% over the past five years.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the important points that have been raised this afternoon. I thank the Member for securing the Adjournment debate, which is the first of this parliamentary session. I also thank everybody who attended and contributed to it. I have attended many Adjournment debates as Minister of Health, usually with three or four MLAs from a specific constituency, but the topic today has engendered wider contributions, not just from Members whose constituency is in the Northern Trust area but from a number of Members whose constituency is in another trust area. <BR /> <BR />In common with all our health and social care trusts, I am aware that the challenges that the Northern Trust has experienced in securing the capacity to meet the increased demand for domiciliary care are shared across the piece.”
“— and the support of Assembly colleagues, we can improve health outcomes for all women and girls in Northern Ireland. I very much welcome today's debate and thank Members for their contributions. If Ms Dillon wants in briefly, I will give way.”
“I apologise, but I want to finish this. We must take note of the fact that awareness raising should go beyond the female population, in order to ensure that everyone has a better understanding of women's health issues and the wider impact that they can have, particularly employers. <BR /> <BR />In conclusion, I assure Members that we have a strong foundation of work in progress that will form the key components of a women's health action plan. That work is in the early stages, so I cannot say when it will be finalised, but I hope to say more about that in the weeks and months ahead. By putting women at the centre of discussions, we can ensure that their voices are heard and that the limited funds are appropriately aligned with priorities. I am confident that, through the approach that I have outlined today —”
“<BR /> <BR />Crucially, as a part of that work, I want to listen to Northern Ireland women and hear their views on and experiences of the healthcare system and how it should be shaped. I welcome the fact that, as a society, we hear much more public discourse about women's health issues, and I commend the groups, charities and councils that are helping to bring about that positive shift. I also acknowledge the need for improved public awareness and information. We are working with the Public Health Agency to understand how best we can reach specific groups of women and girls and what that might look like.”
“I hope, however, that I have assured Members that significant work in those areas is embedded in my Department's work programme as a priority. I am committed to providing greater focus and coordination on women-specific issues and to prioritising limited resources to where they will be most effective in my areas of responsibility as Health Minister. As I mentioned earlier, my Department is in the process of developing a short- to medium-term women's health action plan that builds on ongoing work and identifies the priority actions across women's health services that can be taken forward within our current budget, as well as those actions for which additional investment may be required. That will pave the way for a women's health strategy in the longer term.”
“I concur with the Member's comments. I could say the same thing about many services across Health and Social Care. I therefore look forward to her encouraging her two ministerial colleagues to support my bids in the forthcoming Budget and in all the work that I want to do across healthcare, which includes the development and construction of a mother-and-baby unit, as I set out in the mental health strategy delivery plan for 2023-24. <BR /> <BR />I could go on, as there are so many other women's health initiatives across primary care, social care, pharmacy services and allied health services, including hugely important areas such as maternal health, sexual health and pregnancy loss, which I do not have time to cover today.”
“<BR /> <BR />In line with my Department's commitment to establish a mother-and-baby unit, as set out in our mental health strategy delivery plan for 2023-24, I can inform Members that the Belfast City Hospital site has been identified as the most suitable location, and that the Belfast Trust has been invited to prepare an outline business case for the provision of the proposed regional unit. However, delivery of that project remains subject to budget affordability, which, as Members know, has not been confirmed.”
“In relation to maternal mental health, each trust now has an operational community perinatal mental health team in place. Each team is accepting referrals and providing a consultancy service to women who experience mental health problems during the perinatal period. In addition, a regional implementation team has been established within the Public Health Agency. That team has been instrumental in leading the implementation of the community teams by having oversight and providing guidance. That ensures regional consistency, creating referral pathways and ensuring that our new service is fully integrated and embedded into existing services.”
“During the pandemic, one of my priorities as Minister was to reinstate and stabilise fertility services as quickly as possible. I am pleased to say that the staff at our regional fertility centre have worked extremely hard to bring waiting times down to a level that is better than it was before the pandemic, with a first appointment wait of 23 weeks and new IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) patients currently waiting approximately two months. I thank the RFC staff for their hard work and dedication in doing that and for preparing the ground for an increase in provision once capacity can be increased. <BR /> <BR />I congratulate Ms Mulholland on her maiden speech and look forward to working with her in North Antrim. She mentioned perinatal mental health.”
“Thanks to extensive planning by the Public Health Agency and the trusts, along with departmental officials, that brings our system into line with the rest of the UK by implementing the advice of the National Screening Committee and the Northern Ireland screening committee. That will use a test that is more effective at detecting women who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. That change will help in prevention and early detection, and will ultimately save more lives. <BR /> <BR />I recognise that there are many people who long for a child and are desperate to hear when the current fertility service can be expanded to offer a second and, indeed, third cycle to eligible women. That is in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and with a commitment in the New Decade, New Approach agreement.”
“Too many women are leaving the workforce early, as Kellie Armstrong said, including in the health and social care system, where the majority of staff are female. We know that changes in policy could make a huge difference to those individuals, their families and the wider economy. I stress that there are many examples of good practice in menopause care in our system. It is important to ensure that that is equitable and that best practice is standardised across the region. <BR /> <BR />Mrs Dodds mentioned cervical cancer in her contribution. We have a very effective screening programme that has saved many lives over three decades. I was very pleased to see the introduction of full primary HPV screening into the pathway in December last year.”
“It is recognised that some of those recommendations will require additional investment, and that will impact on delivery. <BR /> <BR />I join colleagues in recognising the impact that the menopause can have on women, who will all go through that change at some stage in their life. I wore the MenoVest for a short time, and Linda Dillon expressed it well when she told me, straight to my face, "Now you know what it feels like". I wore it for only 45 minutes, and I encourage those in the Chamber who did not avail themselves of that opportunity to do so; they should. We are seeing the start of a welcome shift in societal attitudes and understanding of the menopause, and I believe that, as has been said, a new Executive can do much more to support that across all sectors.”
“<BR /> <BR />First, I want to prioritise the implementation of the recent Getting It Right First Time or GIRFT report to improve access to our gynaecological services. Our waiting times are simply unacceptable. The report, which was published last month as part of the work that my Department is taking forward under the elective care framework that I published in 2021, sets out recommendations to maximise our capacity, reduce those waiting times and improve patient care and outcomes. As Health Minister, I want to see those waiting lists come down to acceptable levels, and I expect to see real progress on those recommendations in the months ahead. My Department has now written to all trusts about the report and will engage with relevant stakeholders to progress implementation as far as possible with the available resources.”
“As has been said, it means learning about the importance of lifestyle and behavioural risk factors; the prevention of illness; living healthily; managing life changes such as menstrual health and menopause; living with health conditions; and knowing how and where to seek help when needed. For the health service, it is about making sure that that help is available and accessible. <BR /> <BR />I fully acknowledge the challenges across all those areas, many of which have been highlighted by Members today. I am committed to addressing the issues for the women of Northern Ireland, and, while there are probably too many to cover in the time available, I want to mention a number of areas where I see opportunity for progress to be made.”
“All of that can be compounded by ethnicity and socio-economic background and the additional barriers and inequalities faced by the most vulnerable groups of women and girls in our society. <BR /> <BR />Members are right to outline the key elements that need to be considered in a women's health strategy to improve that provision and access to key services, including services for menopause, for gynaecological cancer screening, for cardiovascular health, for fertility and pregnancy, for baby loss and for postnatal healthcare, to name but a few. We know that, collectively, those issues cover the whole life course, so improving lifelong health experiences and outcomes for women also means better education and awareness from that early age.”
“<BR /> <BR />As has been said, women and girls account for 51% of Northern Ireland's population, yet not enough focus is placed on women-specific issues. As we have heard today, each one of those nearly one million people has their own story. Each has their own experience of our healthcare system, and we hear daily of their challenges and concerns when it comes to getting access to the right care at the right time. As Members have said, that includes getting timely access to GP appointments; specialised healthcare in rural areas; and getting a timely diagnosis, advice and information on female-specific conditions or symptoms to help make those informed choices.”
“With your indulgence, Mr Deputy Speaker, I pay tribute to the organisations that are represented in the Public Gallery, but I will not name them all in case I miss one. <BR /> <BR />I will speak later about the action plan, but first I will pick up on some of the issues that have been discussed and outline the work that my Department is doing in those areas. As Órlaithí Flynn pointed out, each of these topics is worthy of a debate and a discussion in this place rather than just being part of a general motion. I am sure that members of the Health Committee will take that forward, and I look forward to working with those new members. I also pay tribute to those with whom I worked in the past for the way that we were able to approach health in this place.”
“That is why, as my party colleague said, as Minister, I am keen to support the motion and the amendment. <BR /> <BR />I can update the Assembly about the fact that my Department is in the early stages of developing a women's health action plan for Northern Ireland. That will bring all of that work together for the first time in a unified plan to demonstrate what we are trying to achieve and to highlight where greater attention and action will be needed. It will be a similar approach to the one that I took in developing our mental health strategy. We produced the mental health action plan first to allow that time frame to make sure that the strategy was able to engage across the trusts, political bodies and all stakeholders.”
“Like others, I congratulate you and welcome you to your post, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />I thank the Members for tabling this important motion, but I also thank all the contributors to the debate for their openness, honesty and personal contributions. That is the strength of this place: when we debate things that affect all the people of Northern Ireland. I thank everyone for their contributions today and the tenor that we have had. <BR /> <BR />Many of the issues that have been discussed today are already priorities for my Department, and I assure colleagues that work is actively ongoing to address the challenges, despite the difficult financial position that the health and social care system faces. Progress on those key issues will be high on my list of priorities as Health Minister.”
“I want to address that issue and give the Member a little bit of extra time for her speech. The trust and the Public Health Agency (PHA) have developed plans to address the cervical screening review of those samples. Assurances on that and the wider cervical screening programme are being provided to the Department via the cervical screening oversight and assurance group, which is now chaired by the deputy chief medical officer, Professor Lourda Geoghegan, and Peter Toogood, our deputy secretary of social care policy. I just wanted to give the Member a little bit more time on this topic.”
“I thank the Member. Can I just say that I will miss her presence on the Health Committee? I notice that she has managed to ask two supplementary questions that are not directly related to the question for urgent oral answer. <BR /> <BR />Support for cancer charities is crucial. With regard to the cancer charities support fund and the mental health fund that I was able to establish during the last mandate, I do not, at this minute in time, have any budgetary leeway to extend those programmes in this financial year, no matter how hard I try or how hard I look. I am conscious that we are approaching the end of a financial year, so, through the Member's support and that of her colleagues on the Executive, I look forward to receiving an endorsement for the health budget.”
“I thank the Member for his support. I would not want to indulge any sort of advertising in the Chamber, Mr Speaker, but I congratulate the Member for what he is doing and encourage anyone who is in the Chamber or is listening and wants to support Mr Kingston in his fundraising to do so. I will certainly contribute to that as well. <BR /> <BR />While we see the imperfect balance of the 30%/70% mix of statutory and voluntary contributions, the Children's Hospice has been clear that the issue has been due to a downturn in voluntary subscriptions to what is a very worthy charity organisation and the work that it does. I hope that what has happened in the past week raises the profile of the Children's Hospice and that we see a benefit in an increase in funding. I commend Mr Kingston for his endeavours.”
“The Member will know that, as the Health Minister for Northern Ireland, I am always an optimist. That is why I took the job on for a second time: I believe in the health service of Northern Ireland and in the commitments and expressions of support that we received prior to the restoration on Saturday a week ago that health would be a priority for all parties in the Chamber, be they in the Executive or the Opposition. It is about how we move, over the next few weeks and months, when we see the outworkings of the Budget and how money is divided between Departments to deal with the pressures that are being witnessed. I sincerely hope that the other Executive parties and the Opposition do not make health a political football. We did not do that in the last mandate, and I hope that we will not do it in this one.”
“The decision last week to make the non-recurrent funding of £420,000 recurrent should start to move that dial a little bit, but there needs to be a realignment in the relationship that we have with the Northern Ireland Hospice, which is the parent body for the Children's Hospice. Again, that is part of the conversation on the larger funding package and the support for palliative and respite care.”
“I welcome the new Chair of the Health Committee to her position and appreciate the engagement that we had this morning. <BR /> <BR />Mr Speaker, I want to correct the record. It was not Gordon Brown but Des Browne who was Minister at that time. I got a wee bit carried away there. The policy position on the funding of hospices, including the adult hospice — the 50:50 — was implemented in 2004 and has not changed. The current funding of children's respite services is, as the Member said, in the region of 70:30, which is 70% coming from hospice provision. However, the current funding of children's community services is more closely aligned to the 50:50.”
“I thank the Member. I have not received a response as yet, but, as the Member will know, the issue moved very quickly last week — from early engagement with the First Minister and deputy First Minister to a meeting on the Tuesday night about how we, as an Executive, should approach the issue. <BR /> <BR />As for the specifics of my budgetary bid, the Member will be well aware that I indicated last year that, even if we get a flat cash budget that rolls into the next financial year, we are already looking at a deficit of £1 billion because of pay pressures, inflationary Health pressures and everything else, so I will need to have a wider conversation with my ministerial colleagues to make sure that all parties that committed their support to Health prior to the restoration of the Assembly last week honour that commitment.”
“<BR /> <BR />The challenge in funding hospices is an example of what we are seeing in funding for Health generally, as I do not have a budget at this time. Part of the challenge for the Children's Hospice was the fact that a large proportion of funding was non-recurrent, but we have been able to make that recurrent.”
“I thank the Member for making that point. It is about the wider conversation around palliative care and respite care and how we work with other hospices. There has been much said about the 50:50 nature of the funding and the understanding that we have with the adult hospices that is not carried across to the Children's Hospice. That is a carry-over from direct rule, from Gordon Brown's time in 2004, I believe. It goes back quite a while. That relationship and that understanding about funding predates previous Health Ministers who have been involved in conversations with the hospice, so, while my Department has the lead, and I am not in any way shirking that fact, there is a wider cross-governmental remit in regard to how we make sure that the funding is in place for hospices.”
“The unfortunate situation that we have seen with the Children's Hospice enables that conversation to be had at a very early stage of this Government about what needs to be done and what can be done cross-departmentally and with the Opposition's support.”
“I thank the Member for his offer to continue working constructively. That is the relationship that we had in the previous mandate. <BR /> <BR />As I said at the end of my answer, there needs to be a wider discussion, not just across government but with my Department and the Minister of Finance, about how we support all hospice provision. We need to look at the Children's Hospice and how it looks after respite care as well as palliative care. The palliative care section of the Children's Hospice has not been affected by this, so it is about the respite care. There needs to be a wider conversation about palliative care across the entirety of the hospice provision.”
“I am also aware of the fact that other Northern Ireland Departments have provided financial support to the Children's Hospice in the past, but I believe that the long-term need for financial stability across the whole hospice sector would benefit from cross-departmental input, helping to assist organisations in identifying sustainable ways forward. Consequently, I have written to the Finance Minister to seek further discussions between the charities and our two Departments.”
“The Children's Hospice and the Northern Ireland Hospice parent body will need to develop longer-term solutions, of which, I am sure, the Government will want to be supportive. Given the current absence of a Budget for next year and the well-documented financial uncertainties and challenges for the Government, my Department is currently at the limit of what it can do, but I am also very conscious that other hospice organisations and many other health and care providers are also grappling with growing budget pressures and will be seeking further statutory finance. <BR /> <BR />I am grateful for the support from and the personal interest of the First Minister and deputy First Minister regarding the Children's Hospice's position.”
“That core funding also included £420,000 that had not been recurrent, meaning that it had to be subject to confirmation each year. I can also confirm that it will be made recurrent, which will give the hospice greater certainty, because I am keenly aware that the financial challenges facing the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice go much deeper than this year or next year. Like all healthcare providers, it has encountered significantly rising running costs, reflecting inflationary pressures. <BR /> <BR />Regrettably, the Children's Hospice has advised my Department that the restoration of the full £170,000 for this year will not lead to the reversal of the service reduction that was made public this week.”
“The temporary payment that was in place since 2018 was to assist the hospice following the closure of a facility in Fermanagh called Horizon West. The funding was for three years, and it was used by the hospice to support the cost of a bed in Belfast. Due to COVID, the funding was extended for a further two years until the end of March 2023. The decision to cease the payment was notified to the Children's Hospice in June 2023 and took effect from September last year. That resulted in a reduction of £85,000. <BR /> <BR />I took the decision on Friday to reinstate that funding in full for this year, as I had committed to respond by the end of last week. That payment is in addition to the core annual funding of £1·6 million, which my Department is providing directly to the Children's Hospice this year.”