Monthly Archives: July 2019

Cairncastle Flute Band and suicide prevention charity Every Life Matters have been praised for raising awareness of mental health. A rally in Ballygally car park was organised after the Parades Commission imposed conditions on the ‘charity awareness parade’ planned by Cairncastle Flute Band on Monday night. The commission ruled that the parade could proceed from Cairncastle Orange Hall along Cairncastle Road and Coast Road before dispersing at the car park instead of an extended route into housing developments. UUP MLA Roy Beggs, who spoke at the rally, said: “As a result of their efforts in Craigyhill, Glynn and Millbrook, 16 individuals have come forward for help. “I would like to commend the work of Cairncastle Flute Band in association with Every Life Matters for their work in highlighting the importance of good mental health and of suicide preventative work and support. “It is disappointing that because of intolerance, permission to … Continue reading →

NORTHERN Ireland’s Commissioner for Older Persons warned Health Minister Edwin Poots more than a year ago of the potential pitfalls of closing residential care homes, a local MLA has revealed. Ulster Unionist Assemblyman Roy Beggs Jnr has published a briefing note that had been prepared for the DUP minister on the proposed closure of homes. In it, commissioner Claire Keatinge provided guidance on good practice which Mr Beggs says was ignored when trusts announced plans to close almost all Health Service care homes in the Province. Mr Beggs, the UUP health spokesman, said this week: “Vulnerable people living at the Greenisland House, Joymount, Lisgarel and Clonmore residential homes will have been significantly distressed by the DUP Health Minister, Edwin Poots’s failure to follow the guidance given to him by the Older Persons’ Commissioner.” The East Antrim MLA revealed that on April 18, 2012, Claire Keatinge handed a briefing note to … Continue reading →

Uphill battle: Dr Ian Crawford By Mairead Holland July 26 2019 The health service in Northern Ireland is “lurching towards a major winter crisis”, an Ulster Unionist MLA has warned. Roy Beggs, who represents East Antrim, was responding to the latest figures on the province’s 10 emergency departments (EDs). They reveal that the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours has more than doubled in the past year. Last month there were 2,835 patients waiting for this time period compared to 1,365 in June 2018. The Government target is for no one to wait for more than 12 hours. Another key target was also missed last month, with just 67% of patients treated and discharged or admitted within four hours – well below the target of 95%. The figures are included in a bulletin published yesterday by the Department of Health. Mr Beggs has urged the new Secretary of … Continue reading →

The number of people waiting more than 12 hours for treatment at Northern Ireland’s emergency departments has doubled since last year. The latest emergency care waiting time statistics, published by the Department of Health on Thursday, show that in June this year there were 2,835 patients forced to wait at least 12 hours for treatment at a hospital emergency department. That represents around 4% of all the patients who showed up at an emergency department in Northern Ireland last month, from a total of 70,289. In June last year, the number of people forced to wait 12 hours or more was 1,365 – less than half this year’s total. This is in spite of a slight drop in the total number of patients – down from 70,741 in June last year. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine said both staff and patients deserve better. Dr Ian Crawford, the medical body’s … Continue reading →