Other News In Brief

Motorcyclist Dies in Enniskillen Road Crash

A motorcyclist has tragically lost their life following a two-vehicle road traffic collision in Enniskillen on Friday, November 8th.

The collision, involving a black Audi A4 and a Honda CBF 600 motorcycle, occurred on the Derrylin Road shortly after 9:35 PM.

Emergency services attended the scene, but sadly, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead.

Roads Inspector Cherith Adair, from the Collision Investigation Unit, stated:

"Officers from the Collision Investigation Unit examining the circumstances of the collision, are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed what happened or who has CCTV, dash-cam or other footage which could assist with enquiries, to contact police on 101 quoting reference number 1743 of 08/11/24.”

Information can also be submitted online at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport.

Alliance Calls For New Statutory Duty Of Candour For Health Professionals

The Alliance Party has called for the introduction of a new statutory duty of candour for health professionals and organisations in Northern Ireland.

The party's health representatives have brought forward a motion to the Assembly today, Monday 11 November, calling for agreement on the need for the duty of candour, stating the Health Minister should bring forward legislation to introduce them before the end of the current mandate, due to the little progress which has been made on the issue in the past 20 years.

In 2004, the hyponatraemia inquiry was announced following the death of five children in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, with findings most of the deaths were avoidable amid heavy criticism of the treatment of families. With a series of scandals since, Alliance Health spokesperson Danny Donnelly MLA said it was unacceptable the Department of Health had made little progress on the matter.

"As a healthcare worker myself, I know the overwhelming majority of staff throughout the health service are highly thought of professionals and committed to the highest standards of care for all patients," he said.

"However, we have seen a number of high-profile scandals since the hyponatraemia inquiry was first announced 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the Department of Health seems to be dragging its feet, as we have seen little progress on this and other matters.

"That has also proven the professional codes of conduct or other accountability mechanisms already in place don’t always work, and a duty of candour is needed. It would enable medical professionals to work to the highest standards while supporting them to be candid in their work, and advancing patient safety at the same time."

SF Welcomes New £170m Education Funding

Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan has welcomed an allocation of £170 million for education from the Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald.

The party's education spokesperson said: "I want to commend Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald's decision to prioritise strengthening our education system with a funding injection of £170 million.

"The education minister must now prioritise delivering on the most important issues including fair pay for workers, transforming childcare, supporting children with special educational needs and addressing educational underachievement.

"Sinn Féin will continue to press the British Treasury for fairer funding to enable us to get on with the job of delivering a stronger education system that gives every child the best start to life."