Liz Kimmins
Newry and Armagh · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I do not know how it will have affected North Antrim specifically unless the Member is referring to something in particular. We all have a responsibility in climate change and what we do to try to mitigate its impacts.”
“As the Member rightly said, removal of the zero-detriment policy is for the AERA Minister, and I have engaged with the Minister on that, as well as on the removal of the statement of regulatory principles and intent. I recognise that removing that would have detrimental impact on future development.”
“In response, we recently developed and introduced new appraisal guidance, which represents a significant and deliberate shift in approach. Under the previous arrangements, schemes were largely determined by a monetised cost-benefit ratio threshold where, typically, projects that fell below a ratio of one did not progress.”
“A number of significant issues have led to that scenario. I assume that the Member is referring to waste water capacity. I have said that NI Water has suggested that it needs between £3·5 billion to £3·6 billion for the next price control period.”
“Recruitment is a key challenge faced by all Departments. In questions to the Minister of Health, my colleague from Newry and Armagh referred to the recruitment issue that recently impacted on Daisy Hill. The challenge is not unique to DFI. I want to put a focus on ensuring that we build our internal capacity and improve staffing levels.”
“The Executive and the Assembly agree that the Executive's Budget is not adequate, which is why we are in that negotiation. When it comes to the capital budget, we have to factor in a timeline for the legal challenge that we are going through. It is unlikely that we will get a decision from the court on this side of the summer recess.”
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“We must work together, and we are committed to working with the Minister to ensure that that happens in the time ahead.”
“Those are just some elements of what we need to do to transform our health service. I am under no illusion that many components are required to fully deliver what was envisioned by 'Delivering Together' and the Bengoa report. We have seen chinks of light with the implementation of elective care hubs and the partial roll-out of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), but we have some way to go. As others have said, we cannot do it without genuine partnership working, co-production and co-design with the people who use the services and those who deliver them. Our communities are anxious and fearful that they will lose services and that things are being removed. We cannot do business like that any more. Staff must not be the last to know about service changes.”
“That points to the need to turn the ship around from a focus on the latter stages of a patient's journey in acute or emergency care to a strong focus on primary care and early intervention where preventative and proactive care will ensure that our population will not only live longer but live a healthier and more active life with better outcomes. Primary care is undoubtedly the bedrock of a properly functioning health and social care system, and we therefore need to see concerted efforts to tackle the existing challenges across primary care so that patients can see the right person at the right time. As others have said, that work cannot occur in isolation. We need to see deliverable actions to tackle our waiting lists. That is not an easy task, given the current financial climate, but that does not mean that we should do nothing.”
“Staff are burnt out, and they are prevented from doing the job that they want to do by the constant firefighting and crisis management that they are required to do every day. <BR /> <BR />In 2016, Bengoa also highlighted the disproportionately high use of emergency and urgent care by people in the North, and that has undoubtedly increased significantly, as we see week in, week out the huge pressures on our emergency departments, with, as others said, some the longest waiting lists in western Europe and extremely long waits for access to GP services and treatment.”
“In order to avoid further such service collapse, we need to ensure that we have proper workforce planning, because we have seen that, where that has not happened, our highly skilled workforce has continued to see diminution and dilution as a result. That must be a starting point, and that is inevitably our biggest challenge if we want to see the proper transformation that, we all agree, is required. In this year alone, we have seen some of the dire consequences of a failure to invest in our workforce, and that is failing all our citizens. 'Delivering Together' envisioned the health and social care system as an attractive employer and one that enables staff to develop their skills in a working environment that allows them to do what they do best, and that needs to be our focus now.”
“I thank the Member for her intervention. That is an important point, and I will discuss that in more detail later. We cannot impose decisions on the community, our staff or all the sectors that are critical components of our health and social care service. We must do it in genuine partnership and with co-design and co-production. The only way that we will deliver is by listening to the people who use the services and to those who deliver the services every day and know what the changes have been, whether they were societal changes or changes in the needs of patients. <BR /> <BR />That leads into my next point, which is the importance of proper workforce planning. We talked about service collapse, and my colleague will be aware of the impact of that in the SWAH.”
“We are at a point where this is no longer a tenable position, and maintaining those existing models is having increasingly negative impacts on the quality and experience of care for patients and service users. <BR /> <BR />Over the last decade, we have seen the symptoms of inaction, which, the wider public have often felt, was what was meant by "transformation", but let us be clear: the removal of services, such as emergency surgery from Daisy Hill and the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH), is not transformation; it is service collapse.”
“Had the transformation been implemented as outlined in the Bengoa report and, indeed, in 'Delivering Together', which was introduced by my colleague the First Minister and then Health Minister, Michelle O'Neill, we would not be witnessing the impact of the "burning platform" that Professor Bengoa rightly predicted in 2016. We have not moved on from the reactive, acute-centred model of delivery that was operating back then, and that is clearly not delivering for patients and service users. In fact, it is contributing to increasingly higher costs, with an over-reliance on short-term solutions, including expensive agency and locum staff, not just in secondary and tertiary care but in primary care, as we continue to struggle to attract GPs into our local surgeries.”
“I support the motion and the amendment. <BR /> <BR />Eight years ago, Professor Bengoa launched his report 'Systems, Not Structures', which signified a turning point in the Assembly's intent to transform our health and social care system, with a clear focus on creating a safe, high-quality and sustainable service for people across the North of Ireland. I recently refreshed myself on the findings and the content of that report, particularly as I know that Professor Bengoa is due to visit here again next month. Despite almost a decade having passed since the report's publication, it could have been written yesterday, except that the key challenges have significantly worsened. <BR /> <BR />We are now in a situation where our health service is undoubtedly in a fragile state.”
“On the grassroots element of the football fund, I met groups over the summer that are willing the fund to open soon. Will the Minister provide a timeline for when we can expect the grassroots element of the fund to open, given that he said that he hopes that letters of offer will go out for the 2025 financial year?”
“I commend the launch of the strategic framework and the ambitious first delivery plan. As other Members have said, incredible work is already being done on the ground in our communities to help prevent violence against women and girls but also to help those who are suffering abuse and harm every single day. Will the First Minister outline how she will continue to support the groups and organisations that carry out that life-changing work?”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Chead-Aire as a ráiteas.”
“It is essential that a solution is found urgently so that our children are not failed and get equal access to the support that they need that many others are getting across the North. I implore the Education and Health Ministers to work with Early Years and the Southern Trust to find suitable premises urgently and to find solutions for those children and families, not just in the here and now but for the future.”
“Support for children of preschool age is particularly critical for their learning and development and even more so for children with additional needs, who will benefit immensely from tailored support at the earliest possible stage. As many will know, support services for children and young people with additional needs are extremely stretched, so the further reduction in services will have a significant impact on many families. Parents have told me that Newry Early Years is the only place where their child can be themselves as they have amazing key workers who can meet their needs and provide the care and attention that they need to help them to grow and develop. <BR /> <BR />Families have been left feeling extremely anxious as a result of the news.”
“I rise to urgently highlight the recent news of the worrying closure of Newry Early Years Children and Family Centre at Orana House. The news has been a massive blow for many families in my constituency, who have described the services as a lifeline for them and their children. The closure comes as a result of the current lease coming to an end. Unfortunately, to date, despite many months of effort, no alternative premises have been found, and that is having a hugely detrimental impact on the children and families concerned. <BR /> <BR />The Early Years centre has been at Orana House for many years, providing vital support to thousands of families — parents, carers and children — throughout that time.”
“It affects us all, including our families and friends. It is crystal clear that, if we want to deliver properly for patients and staff, we need proper transformation and investment in health and social care. It is therefore imperative that the British Government provide the appropriate funding to match the level of need, not just for the here and now but to protect our health service's long-term future. <BR /> <BR />We must continue to stand together to keep the best interests and health of our people front and centre and to challenge this new Labour Government to step up to the plate and provide the funding that we need now.”
“With staff leaving or going off sick due to the stress and pressure that they are under, some teams have been left with no staff, and others operate with a minimum of staff. That has a detrimental effect on not only staff but children, young people and their families, an effect that will cause untold, long-term damage to their future and for generations to come. It is therefore essential that plans be developed to address the serious recruitment and retention issues facing our health and social care workforce: without people, we have no health service. <BR /> <BR />Our health service is undoubtedly beyond crisis point and is probably the single biggest issue that I, and many others in the Chamber, will be contacted about in relation to the experience and views of staff, patients and trade unions every single day.”
“We need proper investment in social care to ensure that care workers are property valued for the essential role that they play in the functioning of our health service and in ensuring that people can not only live longer but live well for longer. Across our health service, healthcare workers struggle to cope with the demands placed on them in clinical settings. Many professions report high levels of burnout. That has resulted in our losing doctors, nurses, consultants and many other essential staff to other jurisdictions and countries where pay and, most importantly, conditions are much more attractive. There, they can do the job that they trained to do and that they love in a much safer environment. <BR /> <BR />We have seen the impact of that, particularly on children's social work teams across the North.”
“With an ageing population, community care is a vital component of our health and social care system to ensure that patients are discharged when they should be and with the appropriate support to allow them to return to their own homes. It is well-evidenced that people who remain in hospital for prolonged periods are more likely to experience further deterioration in health through mobility problems, infections and other conditions that could have been avoided had they been discharged at the right time. That, in turn, puts increased pressure on our overall health service as patients' medical and care needs increase. <BR /> <BR />Caring is an extremely important profession, and that cannot be overstated.”
“Our emergency departments are overcrowded, and many patients wait for unreasonably long periods before being assessed and treated in our hospitals. Hospitals are under constant strain, and overstretched bed capacity is now the norm in wards, with unstaffed beds or beds beyond the capacity of the ward now commonplace. That fails not only patients but staff, who work in the most unsafe conditions under extreme pressure. <BR /> <BR />Many patients are unable to be discharged when they are medically fit to leave hospital, due to the lack of domiciliary care packages. That needs to be addressed urgently to keep our health service functioning properly.”
“It has been reiterated numerous times during this mandate that the Assembly remains united in the view that we have been and continue to be underfunded by the British Government relative to the level of need across the North. In particular, the current level of funding for health and social care services is unsustainable, given the current demand and the projected need for service capacity now and for the future. <BR /> <BR />As others highlighted, the waiting lists here are among the worst in western Europe, with thousands of patients awaiting procedures. While waiting, they are in pain and distress, which ensures that their conditions continue to deteriorate. By the time that they are seen, they are much worse than they were at the beginning.”
“I welcome the motion. It is crucial that we keep this important issue front and centre.”
“I thank the Minister for her answer. I note that, in the last week, the Lady Chief Justice has expressed her disappointment that the broadcasting of court proceedings will not be implemented in this mandate. I therefore ask the Minister why that could not be included in the sentencing Bill as it is important, particularly around transparency and public confidence.”
“. Our communities have embraced and welcomed many people from other communities over the years, just as many of our people were welcomed when they emigrated to countries across the world. Just yesterday, I spoke to some international healthcare workers in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area. They described the fear that they feel as they watch the disgraceful and despicable scenes that we have seen over recent days. They are afraid to go to work, to come home or to take their children out in public. I say this to them: we stand with you, we value you, and we have the utmost respect for the huge contribution that you make to society every day. This is your home, and you are all welcome here. <BR /> <BR />Racism and hatred are never acceptable — no ifs, no buts and, most importantly, no excuses.”
“Those people have left their home countries, families and communities to come here, where they are saving lives and providing invaluable care to patients from all backgrounds bar none. <BR /> <BR />Just 18 months ago, general medicine at my local hospital, Daisy Hill Hospital, was on the brink of collapse due to crippling staff shortages. Thankfully, because of the decisions of many overseas workers — healthcare professionals — who chose to come to Ireland and work in our health service, those services have been stabilised and protected. We must be and are eternally grateful to each and every one of them. <BR /> <BR />The very least that people from minority ethnic communities deserve is respect and to have the same safety and security as any other individual across this island. Ireland is the land of céad míle fáilte”
“Today's plenary meeting is an important opportunity for us all to stand together and condemn the horrendous images and the attacks that we have seen on our migrant communities over the past number of days. We have to show leadership and ensure that they know that we stand with them and will do everything that we can to protect them. <BR /> <BR />I stand here not just as Sinn Féin's health spokesperson but as a citizen who sees every single day just how much those who have come from other countries enrich and contribute to our society in so many ways. Thousands of hard-working international doctors, nurses, surgeons, midwives and other healthcare professionals in the health service have dedicated and continue to dedicate their lives to our health and well-being.”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. There is lots of positive progress, particularly affecting my constituency. One example of that progress is the introduction of the hourly Enterprise service between Belfast and Dublin, an important development for which we have lobbied heavily. Does the Minister agree that it will unlock huge potential for the economy in the North?”
“The fact that we are still talking about non-pay issues as the predominant factor concerns me, because the BMA has said clearly that it needs to see a pay offer. If this does not work, Minister, what are the next steps in the process because we need to find a resolution urgently.”
“I commend the Finance Minister on her statement and the timely manner in which she published the allocations. It is important that we get allocations to Departments as quickly as possible. Will the Minister outline what funding has been provided to the Department of Health, where it is badly needed?”
“Minister, thank you for your statement. I am glad to see the progress on the all-island cancer work in particular, off the back of the motion that the Assembly passed two weeks ago. The Oireachtas Committee on Health was up last week, as you know. I took the Committee members to Daisy Hill last week, and they were very interested, as were the staff, in the opportunity to share capacity. Can you give a commitment, if that matter has not been discussed, to follow up on it? Certainly the Dáil Committee was very interested in how we can work together on hospital networks across the island.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I particularly thank his officials for the work that they have done in helping us with businesses that are in unique circumstances. Is there any unspent money from the funds allocated to flood support? Will that be used for the original purpose of helping businesses that have been affected by flooding?”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Is the delay in allowing the Executive to make a decision delaying the tariff uplift for RHI?”
“I thank the Minister for giving way while talking about this important topic. He will know that, a number of weeks ago, Sinn Féin tabled a motion on baby loss certificates, which incorporated a discussion of this issue. I had hoped to be able to raise this point with the DUP Member who spoke on it earlier. For many families — I know many who have experienced this — having to send their baby on a plane to Liverpool is more traumatic. In the absence of being able to recruit a paediatric pathologist in the North, does the Minister agree that it makes sense to have access to that service on this island, whether in Dublin or elsewhere, to make it easier for families going through that really horrible experience?”
“— exponential growth in grassroots football for young people. Will the Minister give a commitment to work closely with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to upgrade facilities and provide facilities that the teams across my area not only desperately need but, more importantly, deserve?”
“The recent funding announcement is very welcome in my constituency of Newry and Armagh. The Minister mentioned East Antrim and East Belfast, but we have dire facilities. That is an issue that is raised regularly. We have some of the top teams in the North, such as Cleary Celtic Football Club, which won its third title in a row at the weekend, and some younger teams, such as Lisdrum Youth Football Club and Windmill Stars Football Club, coming through, which demonstrates an —”
“If we work together, we can achieve so much more, and it is certainly something that I support. My party has produced a document on its vision for all-island healthcare, and I hope we can see some of that with the support of the House for this important motion.”
“We are, however, losing our workforce to the South, where there are more attractive jobs and better conditions. The Member referenced Sláintecare. Why do we not pool that resource? Why can we not work together to ensure that we provide really high-class services? That is doable, and it is not all about money. It is something that we can do if there is the will between the two Health Departments. <BR /> <BR />I agree with everything that has been said. We have so much potential because we are a small island, with the maximum distance that anybody would have to travel taking just a couple of hours.”
“In many cases, for people from the South or other parts of the North, it is the closest hospital when something happens to them. Likewise, there is huge potential for our Ambulance Service, which is increasingly pressurised. I recently spoke to a family who had an emergency situation with a child and were ever so grateful to get any ambulance. We can do a huge amount of work on an all-island basis to ensure that we get resources to people at the right time so that they get the right care. <BR /> <BR />The Member who spoke previously talked about the loss of our workforce. Our health service workforce, as we have said repeatedly in the Chamber since the Assembly was restored, is the underpinning issue to be fixed to ensure that we have the right capacity to deliver services for all our citizens.”
“We will meet representatives from the Queen's University Centre for Cancer Research and others to look at the opportunities that exist across the island. We have a small island and a small population overall. Looking at the population in the North, I think that it is equivalent to that of a big city such as Glasgow. The potential of the resource and talent that we have across our island is huge. There is so much that we can do. <BR /> <BR />I am being parochial, but it is not surprising that I should mention my hospital, Daisy Hill, which is the only hospital between Drogheda and Portadown and serves a huge area of Newry, south Armagh, south Down and, indeed, north Leinster. It is ideally placed, as a central location, to provide healthcare on an all-island basis, and, indeed, it already does so.”
“In more and more conversations with individuals, organisations and professionals, it is being said, "We want to get the best care for people. We want to ensure that they get the best outcomes". I know that the Minister has said that achieving better outcomes for patients is one of his priorities. That is where we need to go, and the motion will help formalise that and emphasise how we work together. <BR /> <BR />As I mentioned in yesterday's debate, the Oireachtas Health Committee will come to Belfast next week, about which I am really excited. It is the first time that we have done that, and that in itself shows that there is appetite for the Assembly Health Committee and the Oireachtas Health Committee to work together. I hope that it is the start of something really progressive and productive.”
“I thank the Member for proposing this important motion. It is no secret that Sinn Féin's vision for the future of healthcare is one that encompasses an all-island health service because it makes sense. Yesterday, all parties supported our motion on all-island cancer research. In discussing that, nobody disputed that that makes sense. It is the way in which we need to go. <BR /> <BR />The proposer of the motion mentioned the importance of cross-border, all-island healthcare in reducing the colossal waiting lists in our health system, with people's conditions continually worsening as they languish on waiting lists for not weeks or months but years. We have to think outside the box, which means collaborating with our colleagues across this island and sharing our resource, knowledge and expertise.”
“I was very encouraged by the Minister's words in his first address to the Assembly when he said that he wishes to focus on cancer during his term of office. I sincerely hope that, as part of that work, he will engage with his counterparts in the South to progress this crucial opportunity, which will inevitably transform cancer care for generations to come.”
“We just need to think strategically and pool our resources for the benefit of all our citizens. As we look at the huge pressures on our health service, particularly through the cancer waiting lists, in the context of major financial challenges, it is abundantly clear that we need to think outside the box to deliver for patients. Bringing together the existing strengths and synergies from both North and South will give us the best opportunity to save lives and potentially slow down the devastation that this cruel disease causes to so many families. Very few of us in the Chamber will not have been touched by it in some way. We must use every resource available. We cannot be short-sighted when it comes to life and death.”
“The AICRI report describes how the development of an all-island innovation cluster would bring together academia, industry and healthcare professionals. That would undoubtedly be a game changer for cancer research and care. It would also drive inward investment to the sector, further enhancing the possibilities in cancer research, and ultimately improving our ability to understand and find treatments for various cancers. Increased collaborative working like that will benefit everyone on our island. We already see how well it works when we look at the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin and the children's cardiology unit at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, both of which provide life-saving care to patients from all corners of Ireland. <BR /> <BR />We do not need to reinvent the wheel. We have access to all the tools.”
“I am delighted that, next week, the Health Committee will visit Queen's University jointly with the Oireachtas Committee on Health to learn more about the facility and the importance of all-island research. I really look forward to that, particularly on the back of today's debate.”
“Some of its biggest growth is in the area of precision oncology, which focuses on cancer treatments that are tailored to individual patients. That has significantly enhanced cancer management, but also has the potential to revolutionise cancer care across our island. <BR /> <BR />We have 172 oncology and digital health companies operating across Ireland, the majority of which are home-grown firms that also operate on the global stage. As well as that, some of the most prestigious universities in the world are providing us with a significant advantage in oncology research. One of those is the Patrick G Johnson Centre for Cancer Research at Queen's University Belfast.”
“He has been leading the way through his work in establishing the eHealthHub for Cancer, bringing together the cancer community across Ireland to work together on cancer research through the use of data. That is just one example of the innovation that is happening, North and South. <BR /> <BR />The All-Island Cancer Research Institute's (AICRI) recent report on all-island oncology research strongly affirms the benefits of that approach for a number of reasons. For one, it is clear that cancer does not recognise borders. We must take the politics out of healthcare and do what will help us to achieve the best outcomes for all our patients. Ireland, North and South, has over 120,000 people employed in the life and health sciences sector.”
“Here in Ireland, we have huge talent and expertise in life and health sciences and cancer research. Therefore, we have a real opportunity to be world leaders in the field. Operating as two separate jurisdictions has major drawbacks, and we need to realise our full potential through collaboration and coalescence on an all-island basis in order to move at pace in research and the development of innovation in cancer care. Professor Mark Lawler is a highly regarded and well-known scientist, with over 30 years of experience in cancer research. He has outlined the need to supercharge cancer research, which he firmly believes will improve cancer care.”
“Over 50,000 people across Ireland are diagnosed with cancer every year, with one in two people likely to have cancer during their lifetime. That is particularly important, given that we have a growing ageing population, with people living longer. Due to innovation and research, however, cancer survival rates have doubled in the past 40 years, with new and more innovative treatments and technologies being developed to help diagnose and treat cancers and extend life expectancy for many people.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”