HEALTH AND THE N.H.S.

Spokesperson: Kieran McCarthy MLA

Maternity Care Spokesperson: Geraldine Rice

Sexual Health Spokesperson: Lynn Frazer

Last updated: 1 May 2004

Alliance is committed to a National Health Service free at the point of delivery and to the continued development of integrated Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland.

Alliance supports the development of primary and community care on a truly multi-disciplinary basis. Alliance believes that the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety must work closely with the other Departments responsible for housing, education, policing and the economy, in order to promote health and well-being.

Regional specialties, such as cancer treatment, need to be centralised, in order to provide the best treatment and achieve economies of scale. There is, however, a serious lack of capacity in acute hospital provision. This can be alleviated by innovative models of hospital and community provision, including the use of local hospitals in ways that address local circumstances and needs. There should be no standard model. Rather, each hospital should reflect local needs and strengths.

Alliance believes that the health sector is one where significant benefits can come from cross-border co-operation, through the mutual provision of hospital services (particularly emergency services), the sharing of specialised equipment, and the employment of an air ambulance, amongst others.

Alliance believes that a smaller number of strengthened Health and Social Services organisations would make better use of managerial experience and resources. It is important that professionals and local communities are fully involved in shaping future developments.

Alliance believes that Health and Social Services have been greatly impeded by a lack of clear decision making. The length of time taken to consult and decide issues has been excessive.

MANIFESTO PLEDGES (2003 NI Assembly)

• Distribute resources in favour of Health and Social Services. Alliance would make a commitment to raise the share of GDP spent on the NHS to the average EU level within five years.
• Introduce free personal care for those living in residential and nursing homes, as it is in Scotland. Only Alliance MLAs voted for such a provision in the Northern Ireland Assembly. We would also remove the age restrictions on the receipt of disability benefits.
• Develop radiotherapy and chemotherapy services within an acute hospital setting. These services play a central role in the curative and palliative treatment of cancer.
• Ensure the continued operation of the Home Safe Loan scheme, designed to provide householders, particularly in deprived areas, with safety equipment for their home.
• Prioritise cardiovascular disease prevention in public health strategy. Coronary heart disease in Northern Ireland is one of the highest in Europe.
• Adopt a two-year training course for ambulance paramedics. An improved ambulance service is an integral part of the emergency service.
• Introduce greater controls on the use of pesticides, antibiotics and growth promoters. Alliance is committed to the safety and protection of organic food production.
• Develop rehabilitation services. This includes the need to increase the number of occupational therapists, to further reduce an unacceptable backlog, as well as to allow people to regain best possible quality of life and live longer in their own homes.
• Abolish eye and dental check charges, and ensure the availability of NHS dental care.
• Provide free digital hearing aids for those who need them.
• Develop community services for people with learning difficulties. We are particularly concerned at the shortfalls in day and respite care as well as in employment opportunities.
• Develop primary and community care-based mental health services, including out-of-hours services. This can ensure early, skilled intervention, as well as to prevent admissions to hospital.
• Increase the provision for services to support families, to protect children from abuse and to assist children in need with disabilities. Spending in Northern Ireland is two-thirds of that in England. This poor performance by our local administration cannot be allowed to continue.
• Develop and implement a multi-disciplinary health promotion strategy. This should utilise the previous experience of the involvement of District Councils, and work in conjunction with schools, youth services, and the voluntary and community sectors. This strategy will be an important means of reducing teenage pregnancy and promoting the welfare of young people.
• Amend regulations to extend the scope of nurse prescribing.
• Prioritise addressing the workforce crisis in Health and Social Services. Emphasis should be placed on long-term workforce planning, staff development, and active measures that will support and retain staff (including flexible working arrangements).
• Ensure adequate staffing of physiotherapists, to prevent a forecasted significant shortfall. Proper staffing of physiotherapists will enable patients to get rapid access to vital rehabilitation and recovery, which will help produce shorter stays in hospital, reduce waiting lists and provide more community-based support.
• Prohibit smoking in public places of government buildings. We support a complete ban on tobacco advertising, and would support an increase in the price of cigarettes to pay for front line health services.
• Support the newly founded methadone treatment facility. Controlled by professionals, this treatment rescues vulnerable individuals from absolute despair.
• Increase the provision of acute beds, to address immediate need. Furthermore, we will apply waiting times as a form of service measurement, in preference to waiting lists.
• Abolish compulsory competitive tendering of support services. We believe that support services are fundamental to patient and client care, and are integral to Trusts, instead of being contracted out.
• Establish arbitration tribunals to deal with medical negligence cases. This process can be less stressful and expensive than confrontational legal cases. Often the victim is only seeking an apology, explanation and remedial health care.

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