Tag Archives: NHS

Beggs says latest funding not enough to address Health Service budget crisis

Ulster Unionist health spokesperson Roy Beggs MLA has stated that the additional funding announced today for the Health Service is far short of what is required to address the shortfall in the Health Budget, and that the fact that an additional £250 million has made available to the Health Service Budget since May 2011 vindicated the stance taken by Michael McGimpsey when Minister of Health. Mr Beggs said: “The £30 million announced by the Finance Minister is only a step towards what is actually required to fill the black hole in the current Health Budget which the Ulster Unionist Party warned was inevitable given the budget settlement in 2011. The Finance Minister has now been forced to make yet another top-up of £30m to alleviate current pressures. This is despite Health officials telling the Health Committee only weeks ago that there were £43m of inescapable pressures which included quality and … Continue reading

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Beggs: NI deserves British standards to measure and compare NHS treatment waiting times.

Ulster Unionist Party health spokesman Roy Beggs Jnr has expressed his disappointment that Northern Ireland Health Minister Edwin Poots is resisting introducing an appointment to treatment waiting time measurement- which would give a direct comparison with other parts of the UK NHS. Mr Beggs commented: “To know how well the health service in Northern Ireland is doing, we need to be able to benchmark performance. In Great Britain Referral to Treatment (RTT) is measured and published as a matter of routine. I have asked the Minister, through a written Assembly question, when such a common measurement tool will be introduced locally, so that we could accurately compare our performance with the rest of the UK. I am very disappointed with Minister Poots’ lacklustre response of “My Department has no plans at this time to measure waiting time for elective care on the basis of time from referral to treatment “ … Continue reading

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Call to Extend Bowel Cancer Screening

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim Roy Beggs Jnr has highlighted the fact that Carrickfergus has the worst statistics for bowel (Colectoral) cancer for men in Northern Ireland.  After Lung and Breast, Bowel Cancer is the third most deadly cancer in the UK.  In a debate at Stormont Mr Beggs called for an extension of the screening programme  for bowel cancer which was  introduced under former Health Minister Michael McGimpsey 3 ½ years ago. Roy Beggs MLA said: “In preparing for the Stormont debate on Bowel Cancer, I learned about research statistics published by Queens’ University about cancer death rates in Northern Ireland.  For the 2006-2010 period the standardised mortality rates for colectoral cancer- which is also known as colon, rectal or bowel cancer- is alarmingly high in the borough of Carrickfergus.  At 152.9 the male mortality rate for Carrickfergus is the worst in Northern Ireland.  At 121.4 overall it … Continue reading

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Beggs welcomes new Children’s Hospital

Ulster Unionist Health spokesperson Roy Beggs has welcomed the news that funding has been allocated to build a new Children’s Hospital at the site of the Royal Victoria Hospital, but stated his regret that the money could not have been found earlier by the Finance Minister when Michael McGimpsey was Health Minister. Mr Beggs said; “A new Children’s Hospital is badly needed and the entire community will obviously welcome news that the money has been found. In the last Assembly the Ulster Unionist Health Minister Michael McGimpsey continually lobbied for funding for a new Children’s Hospital. I can recall that in February 2011 McGimpsey asked for more money only for the First Minister to react by describing such requests as “obscene”. Fortunately that attitude has moderated now that a DUP Minister is in charge of Health and in an answer received by my Party Leader Mike Nesbitt less than two … Continue reading

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Beggs Challenges Poots on Respite Cuts

Local Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs MLA has challenged the Minister for Health Edwin Poots about cutbacks to respite care in the health service. During Question time at Stormont Mr Beggs asked the Minister: “Does the Minister accept that, when health service staffs are advising vulnerable families that their respite care is being cut in half, cuts are clearly being made? They are short-term cuts that will endanger the health and well-being and even the stability of some families who are caring 24/7.” Minister Poots in reply said “it is clearly the case that we are providing more domiciliary care and more support to people than before.” Speaking later Roy Beggs commented: “The Minister seems to be living in denial about the reality of cuts to frontline health services. I have contacted the Northern Health and Social Care Trust regarding a local family where respite support has been severely cut. … Continue reading

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