MPs urge NI funding move
In its report, Health funding in Northern Ireland, the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee said that if the Northern Ireland Assembly has not been reinstated by the end of the year – it has not sat for more than 1,000 days – the UK government must take action to address unsustainable pressures across the service.
A minimum three-year budget was needed. Services were struggling to meet demand and are without adequate financial support or strategic direction.
Committee chair Simon Hoare said: ‘The stark reality is that the Northern Ireland health service is falling behind the rest of the UK. An approach to funding that simply keeps things ticking over, and an absence of overarching strategy in key areas, has left services at breaking point and this situation must end as soon as possible.’
Meanwhile, Department of Health permanent secretary Richard Pengelly said local services must continue planned transformation. He said the Department was examining responses to public consultations on stroke and breast cancer assessment services, and would decide on the best way forward soon.
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