Roy Beggs has said that the lengthening Hospital Emergency waiting times at Antrim, the Mater and The Royal Hospitals were an indictment on the outgoing Executive, and the successive Sinn Fein and DUP ministers responsible for Health and whose Parties have failed to work collectively to finance and to deliver their much talked about health reform and improvement. He urge voters to give their verdict on the DUP/SF Executive’s disastrous performance.
Roy Beggs, Ulster Unionist candidate said, “I am aware from talking to local patients, their families and health care staff of the growing pressure on our GP’s and hospitals and on our Emergency Departments in particular. This is now apparent from the publish ED Data for December.”
95% of patients are supposed to be seen within 4hrs and none should have to wait more than 12hrs. However in December only 63.3% of patients were seen at Antrim ED within 4hrs and 271 patients had to wait more than 12hrs.
Roy Beggs went on, “The recently published waiting times data shows that in December, Antrim Area Hospital reported the longest average time spent in an ED (7 hours 25 minutes) from arrival to admission to hospital. There has been a significant increase in the number of 12hr waits and more than 1/3 of patients had to wait more than the 4hr target period. This is putting a huge burden on our NHS staff. The increasing waiting times is an indictment of the dysfunctional DUP/SF Executive and their successive Health Ministers who have been in place over the past few years.
However, what must be of particular concern to all is the failure of the current “partners” in the Executive to work together and to deliver their much promised new health care system for NI. It was promised following Professor Bengoa’s investigation and the presentation of his report to the NI Executive in October.”
Roy Beggs has been pressing since a member of the Health Committee himself for additional funding for Primary care so that more patients could be treated locally by GP’s and Allied Health professionals. But following the renewable heat debacle and the subsequent DUP/SF fall out, there has been a failure to progress their planned health reforms and to deliver additional funding in the new budget.
In conclusion Roy Beggs said, “This current DUP/SF administration have failed to work in partnership and to put the ordinary citizens first. Patients will suffer as a result of the Cash for Ash scheme and the irresponsible failure to set the 2017/18 budget.
You the voter now have power in your hand. You can decide if the dysfunctional DUP/SF Executive is to be returned or if you would like it to change by supporting myself and my Ulster Unionist colleague in this election”.
