'Healthy Debate' Rages Over Hospital Cuts

Inter-Executive squabbling reached new levels today as the Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness reacted angrily to comments made by the Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey.

Soon after the Ulster Unionist Executive member hit out at the Sinn Fein Minister's role in setting budget levels, suggesting, "the jam is being spread too thin" and adding that his Department was struggling to deal with massive budget cuts, Martin McGuinness said: "We will not be lectured on this matter.

"He has continually used the Health Service in a cynical attempt to undermine the Executive; he was and remains a semi-detached member of these institutions.

"The community are rapidly loosing confidence in his ability to run the Department as it lurches from one crisis to another," the republican politician continued.

"The reality is that Michael McGimpsey has sat on numerous Executive papers, including cross-border papers, which would deliver significant efficiencies and savings.

"Instead he constantly looks to his Executive colleagues to continue and bail him out - this is all the while ignoring it is his partners in the Tory party - the party whose manifesto of cuts he signed up to and campaigned under at the last election, who are responsible for slashing £4bn from the (NI) Block Grant."

Mr McGuinness also accused both the Ulster Unionist Party and SDLP of 'electioneering' over the draft budget and said both Michael McGimpsey, and the SDLP Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood, had criticised the proposals "at every opportunity".

However, Mr Attwood said the attack was an attempt to distract attention from a budget that "wasn't good enough" in comments that followed those made by the Health Minister after he hit back over fresh revelations yesterday.

Mr McGimpsey said he was in "no way complacent" about outpatient waiting times, having spoken out on the BBC last night after a senior consultant at Craigavon Area Hospital said that many outpatients were having their health put at risk in order to meet Government targets.

The so-called 'whistleblower' consultant, who spoke anonymously to the BBC's Stephen Nolan show yesterday morning, claimed that the Southern Trust was not selecting patients to have appointments postponed on the basis of their condition, but rather on an alphabetical basis in relation to their surname.

This could have serious implications for people with serious conditions that needed frequent monitoring, he said.

The consultant said most of his colleagues had given up on filling in paperwork to notify management about their safety concerns.

Mr McGimpsey said he was aware that there had been lengthy waits for some outpatient appointments, particularly for review or follow-up.

"This is unacceptable but the board and trusts are well aware that by March next year, all patients need to be seen in the timeframe determined by their clinician," he said.

"I am confident that they will bring about the improvements necessary to achieve this standard."

He added that he had invested in outpatient services, providing £7.3m last year and a further £6.3m this year," he said.

Also responding, Mairead McAlinden, Southern Trust Chief Executive, said that she wanted to reassure the public.

"I met with the senior consultant medical team in the Southern Trust and they expressed unanimous disappointment at the continuing anonymous allegations regarding the safety of our services," she said.

A statement from the Southern Trust then gave extensive detail on how appointments are prioritised for outpatients. However, it did not mention whether their appointments are ever postponed to make space for new patients, nor did it mention waiting list targets.

"The Trust has implemented measures to improve the situation, including the introduction of additional appointments and a new approach to outpatient reviews which is continuing to reduce waiting times," she said.

The Southern Health Trust has also now set up a Helpline to deal with concerns raised over outpatient appointments.

The number for the information helpline is 02838 614166. It will be open from 8am to 10pm for an "interim period".

Teaching Hospitals

In other - more positive news - seven acute hospitals in Northern Ireland have today been designated as 'Queen's university teaching hospitals'.

In partnership with the university (QUB), the designation specifically recognises the important contribution acute hospitals here make in providing high quality clinical placements to medical students.

The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has been designated as a University Hospital Campus’, and the seven hospitals, Altnagelvin, Antrim Area, Causeway, Craigavon, Daisy Hill, Erne and the Ulster have all received the new status.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said: "It is important that the education and training of our medical students is of the highest standard to ensure that we have the best qualified and trained doctors for the future.

"The designations awarded today recognise the crucial role our hospitals across the province play in providing excellent undergraduate medical education."

(BMcC/GK)