Health service braces itself for ‘very difficult’ winter period

THE health service in Northern Ireland is facing a “very difficult” winter, with patients urged to take pressure off hospitals by using a range of extra services.

Announcing his winter preparedness plan, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt also detailed nearly £14m in extra funding for GPs, care packages for the over 65s and to support those in nursing homes.

The British Medical Association welcomed the measures, but warned “there would be no let up in the need for hospital beds or GP appointments,” and that longer term planning and funding was badly needed.

Mr Nesbitt commented: “There is no doubt that the Health and Social Care system is again facing a very difficult winter period. While there are ongoing pressures across the system all year, it is clear that more people become sicker, for longer, over the winter months. This is particularly true of our older population.”

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With winter planning starting in the springtime, he said: “We can all play our part again this winter to look after ourselves and support the health service. This can include getting vaccinated if you are eligible, taking sensible steps to stay well, and co-operating with hospital discharge processes if you or a family member are well enough to leave hospital.

“Timely hospital discharges are essential to ensure patient flow through hospitals, freeing up capacity in Emergency Departments and the Ambulance Service.”

The plans across primary, secondary and social care include;

- A Pharmacy First Sore Throat Service at pharmacies across Northern Ireland, available to everyone aged five and over from December 1 and without the need for a GP appointment.

- Vaccination programmes for Covid-19 and influenza, with a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine now available for older adults and pregnant women from 28 weeks gestation.

- An extra £3.4m for GP services, £4.6m to support those in nursing homes and £5m to all health trusts to enhance independent care packages for over 65s. A further £697,000 has also been provided to trusts for early review teams, which can help to maximise care home capacity.

- Phone First services in all trusts for urgent and unscheduled care.

Dr Alan Stout, BMA Northern Ireland council chair said: “There will be no let up on the need for hospital beds or GP appointments and it will be a struggle to keep up with elective work alongside emergencies and acute need.

“Investment is health is always welcome, but I think we all know that this level of funding will only begin to address the huge gaps in service that patients are facing. What we really need are medium and long term plans to significantly reignite the planning and funding of our services.”

Chief Executive of Pharmacy NI, Gerard Greene, added: “Community pharmacy is a valuable first port of call for many winter ailments and the clinical expertise of highly trained pharmacists is available on every high street, without an appointment.

“This announcement coincides with Ask Your Pharmacist Week, an annual reminder of the value of community pharmacies in keeping people well in their own communities, with Pharmacy teams now delivering the all-important flu and Covid vaccinations to keep people protected this winter. With additional resources, community pharmacies can support patients further and help alleviate pressures on GPs and Emergency Departments.”