Tag Archives: Health Committee

Beggs Urges Early Implementation of Independent Recommendations Into RQIA Inspection at Cherry Tree

Ulster Unionist Party representative Roy Beggs MLA has welcomed the publication of the    highly critical independent report into the RQIA inspection of Cherry Tree Nursing and Residential Care Home in which many basic failings in the inspection methods have been highlighted. Roy Beggs MLA, a member of the Health Committee at Stormont said, “The independent review of RQIA highlighted a number of basic issues that need to be rectified.  Why has it taken so long to identify such basic failing in the methods used by RQIA?     Only by changing the inspection process can failings be better identified and addressed so that the standards of care for the elderly can be increased.” The report has identified the need to improve a number of aspects of the inspection such as: the mechanisms to communicate the previous complaints to trust staff who are carrying out the review of the homes; speaking directly to … Continue reading

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Number of hospital Serious Adverse Incidents increased by 58% since 2011 – Beggs

Ulster Unionist Party Health Spokesperson, Roy Beggs, has expressed his concern at the number of Serious Adverse Incidents happening across Northern Ireland’s hospitals. The East Antrim MLA has received confirmation from Edwin Poots that there were 383 serious incidents in 2013, an increase from 242 in 2011. Roy Beggs said; “All of us who rely on the NHS will be deeply concerned at the significant increase of these types of incidents in our hospitals.  Whilst the vast majority of patients receive a fantastic service, primarily thanks to the sheer dedication and grit of our health service staff, there has been an overall increase of some 58% in Serious Adverse Incidents over the last three years. “I am particularly concerned at the situation within the Northern Health and Social Care Trust hospitals which serve my East Antrim Constituents where there has been an increase from 49 in 2011, to 63 in … Continue reading

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Roy Questions Minister and Officials on Care Homes at Stormont Health Committee

The Stormont Committee on Health, Social Services and Public Safety received a briefing from Health Minister Edwin Poots and senior officials including John Compton- Chair of the Health and Social Care Board on “Residential Homes — Proposed Closures”. Ulster Unionist Party MLA Roy Beggs asked the following questions: Mr Beggs: I want to talk about this issue of being surprised at the speed at which the trusts wish to close residential care homes. Given that four or five years earlier some of the trusts wanted to close all the homes, why did it surprise you that some of them wanted to go to the max of their capability in TYC? Mr Compton: We thought that because we had process that had worked locally in the South Eastern and Belfast Trust areas, where we closed homes that tended to be very local and have a very local debate about the particular … Continue reading

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Roys speaks on Health Committee Report

Speaking in a debate at Stormont, Roy Beggs MLA has endorsed a Report on Health inequalitiites just published by the Committee on Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Roy said: ” I am pleased to support the motion highlighting the Committee’s review of health inequalities. When we reviewed the Statistics and Research Agency’s figures, it was clear that there were huge variations in life expectancy. The average female life expectancy in Northern Ireland is 80·5 years, but, in the 20% most deprived areas, it moves down to 77·9 years. For a male from one of the 20% most deprived areas, it is 71·5 years. Those are quite dramatic variations in life expectancy, and, with that, there is associated illness. A range of factors are thought to contribute to that, such as an increased risk of mortality because of drugs, alcohol and smoking and an increased risk of suicide. There is also … Continue reading

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Horse meat in Processed Meat highlights needs to support Trusted Local Butchers: Beggs

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim Roy Beggs has called on support for ‘trusted local butchers’ in the wake of the discovery of horse meat in various processed meat products. Speaking during a briefing given to the Stormont Health Committee on the health implications of the Horse Meat scandal by officials from the Food Standards Agency, Mr Beggs said: “Northern Ireland has a very high level of traceability, perhaps the highest in the world. However, rogue traders and processors, whether in Europe or elsewhere, have put a bit of doubt in some minds at a cost to legitimate businesses. One of the ways of reducing risk factors is to keep the food chain as short as possible and that, to a degree, that means buying from a trusted local butcher. With local butchers, you can get full traceability all the way back to the couple of fields in which the … Continue reading

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