Other News In Brief

Health Trusts Savings Will Cost Lives - Durkan

SDLP Health Spokesperson Mark H Durkan MLA has said that savings of the magnitude which Health Trusts are being asked to make will severely disrupt service delivery and, eventually, cost lives.

He said: "It is impossible for the Health Trusts to make savings of this magnitude without a major impact on service delivery and patient care.

"The Western Trust has already had its budget stretched beyond breaking point. We have seen the inevitable outworkings of such sever austerity - staff shortages, insufficient care packages and postponed operations.

"It's a familiar picture across our Health Service. A critical shortage of GPs and consultants in rural communities, waiting lists that continue to spiral out of control and front line staff aways asked to give more while their pay and conditions remain frozen.

"We heard so much from the last Health Minister about how she was going to transform healthcare here, to create a system that could absorb the ever-growing pressures. Now, in the absence of power sharing institutions, nothing is being progressed."

New Wastewater Pumping Station To Be Developed In Ballymena

Contractor Graham Construction has been appointed to develop a new Wastewater Pumping Station at Galgorm in Ballymena, Co Antrim.

NI Water is investing £1.2 million to significantly upgrade the wastewater pumping stations serving the villages of Galgorm Cullybackey and Ahoghill. The project provide a new modern pumping station at Galgorm and emergency storage at Cullybackey to help reduce the risk of out-of-sewer flooding.

The new Galgorm Wastewater Pumping Station will be constructed on the site of the existing station and the old pumping station will be demolished once the new station has been successfully commissioned. We anticipate that work will get underway in mid-September 2017.

NI Water is inviting the public to hear more about the scheme on Wednesday 30 August at Galgorm & Gracehill Community Centre, 3 Raphael Way, Galgorm BT42 1GQ. It is a 'drop in' event and everyone is welcome to call in at any stage between 4-7pm.

The work will also require a closure of the public car park during the night so that the contractor can use this time to safely bring large construction vehicles in to and out of the site while no members of the public are in the car park.

Maghaberry Prison To Continue to Build On Progress

Head of the Northern Ireland Prison Service, Ronnie Armour, has said Maghaberry Prison will continue to build on progress to ensure all people in custody are given the right support to help them rehabilitate.

His comments follow the publication of a report by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) and HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) which found positive work continues to deliver a safe and stable environment for staff and people in custody. Inspectors also highlighted areas where improvements are required.

Mr Armour said: "There has been significant progress made at Maghaberry over the past two years achieved as a result of a positive determination by the leadership team and staff to deliver on improvements at the facility."

He also welcomed the Chief Inspector's comments about the drive, innovation and creativity shown by management and staff at Maghaberry, before acknowledging there is more to do.

He continued: "This is a timely report by inspectors who acknowledge that the needs of prisoners are complex and that vulnerable prisoners especially present a real challenge. There is also now a wider recognition in judiciary and inspectorate that the criminal justice system is not equipped to deal with people who suffer mental health difficulties. This is not an issue which the Prison Service can resolve alone but we can and will contribute to work as recommended by the inspectors. Alongside our healthcare partners in the South Eastern Trust, all steps will continue to be taken to ensure that those prisoners in Maghaberry who are at risk of self-harm, suicide or otherwise vulnerable are managed and supported effectively."

(CD)