Health Matters - Issue 5

A massive row overshadowed the opening of the £64 million Downe Hospital this month when it was revealed that a number of services it was due to provide had been affected by a combination of staff shortages and restructuring. These include the closing of a ward and cutting back on A&E opening hours.

The Chairman of the Assembly’s Health Committee Jim Wells has accused the Department of Health of covering up the

number of children who die in state care. Mr Wells is furious at the department’s refusal to release figures.

Irish scientists have discovered a gene which could help prevent cleft lip in children. Trinity College Dublin researchers, working as part of an international research team, hope that the findings will lead to the understanding and the eventual prevention of the condition in the future.

Researchers have found that drinking three or four cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of contracting oral cancers by 38%. At the same time US researchers have concluded that drinking more than four cups of tea a day makes people 78% more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those that drink none.

Cases of hospital super bugs have halved in the past three years according to figures released by the Department of Health this month.

The British Heart Foundation and the Ulster Cancer Foundation have reacted furiously to delays in implementing legislation

A monthly overview of news and developments within the health sector in Northern Ireland.

Can football cause deafness?

AssemblyHealth on the Hill

News Review

“The e-zine is

excellent!” Gillian Creevy,

Northern Ireland Cancer

Fund for Children

Issue 5July 2010

www.asitisconsulting.com

Welcome to the fifth edition of Health Matters

News Review

Northern Ireland’s premium public

relations and public affairs agency

Jim Wells – Chairman, Assembly Health Committee

With the

Assembly set to enter

summer recess against

a backdrop of looming spending

cuts we have sought the views of Health

Committee Chair, Jim Wells on how the challenges facing the sector can be met, and what tough decisions lie ahead.

Our news review looks at the health issues that have hit the headlines during the month, and we round up the final month in politics in ‘Health on the Hill’.

Plus, could football cause deafness? The RNID provides some guidance to World Cup football fans.

HEALTH MATTERS – July 2010

News Review (continued)

in Northern Ireland that would ban displays of tobacco products in shops. No further progress has been made since the Assembly gave its support to the propsoals in March.

Researchers at Imperial College London have concluded a survey which demonstrates that living close to a mobile phone mast does not

increase the chance of a pregnant woman’s baby developing cancer.

Giving birth by caesarean section may leave a baby vulnerable to disease and allergy by upsetting its natural balance of bacteria according to new research which demonstrates that the method of delivery has major impacts on child health.

A Mencap survey has revealed shocking levels of care for people with learning disabilities: 46% of doctors and 37% of nurses admit that people with learning disabilities receive a poorer standard of healthcare: either through neglect or a lack of dignity.

Falls among elderly people are costing the NHS £4.6 million per day, it was revealed this month.

Men living in the Shankill and Clonard areas of Belfast have a life expectancy of less than 70 compared with an average of 76 in Northern Ireland as a whole, according to the latest statistics released by the Public Health Agency.

“It is very well designed and does draw you to the articles…I definitely think you have a good tool here and the good design would make it stronger than many others that cross

my own desk.” Alan Walker, General Medical Council

AsseMbLyThe Assembly is due to begin its summer

recess and meet in extra session in the final week to complete the work contained on the order papers. During the month the DUP brought a motion on the Regional Autistic Spectrum Disorders Network Group, calling for a review of the network and called into question the process for appointments to its board. The party’s Jonathan Craig said serious allegations had been made by Autism Northern Ireland about the network and a review would ensure transparency and accountability. Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill said parents had no faith in the newly-established network but UUP members defended their Minister.

The Health Minister introduced a motion on the draft Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) regulations to the Assembly. The regulations relate to new requirements by the medical regulator, the General Medical Council, that all doctors who practice in Northern Ireland to undergo revalidation. The regulations will require the main healthcare bodies in Northern Ireland to nominate or appoint a ‘responsible officer’ who will ensure that the organisation for which they work supports the revalidation process.

The chair of the Health Committee, Jim Wells, successfully sought an extension of the committee stage of the Sunbeds Bill, and the Minister brought the second stage of the Safeguarding Board Bill which aims to strengthen child protection measures in Northern Ireland.

The Budget Bill (No. 3) formally authorised the issue of £7,019,163,000 from the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund. During the debates Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson urged committees to examine the existing budgets of the departments they shadow to uncover areas where funding for lower priority areas, which may no longer be affordable, were concealed. A UUP motion

to ring fence the Health and Social Care Budget was voted down within the Health Committee.

During the Health Committee there was continued warning from the Minister that job losses could not be ruled out if further cuts are made to the health budget. Michael McGimpsey told the committee that the £4.3bn budget was facing efficiencies of about £600m as a result of various pressures, including revenue cuts and swine flu costs. Members also discussed the Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 and the minister was briefed the committee on the 2010/2011 Commissioning Plan. Evidence was heard on the Mid Ulster Hospital and the Whiteabbey Hospital and the Committee took leave of Stormont to hold a meeting at the Cancer Research Unit at Queens University Belfast.

RePORTs, sTRATegIes & suRveys

A new Psychological Therapy Services strategy was announced by the Ministers for Health and Social Development. The strategy will outline the development of psychological therapies including talking therapies, cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling, family support and psycho-analytic therapies.

The Minister also published a new strategy aimed at helping people with a diagnosed personality disorder. The strategy, “Personality Disorders; A Diagnosis for Inclusion” sets out how specialist services to treat these disorders should be developed.

A review of the Breast-feeding Strategy for Northern Ireland was published highlighting a significant increase in Breast-feeding, with 63% of mothers’ breast-feeding at birth.

The second GP Patient Survey, showed that the majority of people in Northern Ireland are satisfied with GP services. The survey issued to 236,646 people across Northern Ireland

found 94% of patients are satisfied with the care they receive at their surgery.

DePARTMenTALThe new Downe Hospital, was officially

opened. It opened its doors to patients on 28 June 2009, at a cost of £64 million and provides inpatient services, including mental health and dementia services, a consultant-led emergency department, day procedure unit, outpatients, rehabilitation and maternity services.

Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry is to benefit from a new state of the art 64 slice CT Scanner costing £600,000. This investment will allow the Trust to provide a much improved range of diagnostic scanning services within Daisy Hill Hospital and reduce the need to transfer patients to Craigavon when more complex scans are required.

Proposals to bring forward the construction of a new maternity unit for Belfast by up to five years, were announced. A review is now underway to examine the best clinical use of part of the new Critical Care building in Belfast, which is presently under construction.

COnfeRenCeThe 32nd British International Congress

of Obstetrics and Gynaecology was held in Belfast; The first time the Congress, organised by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has been held in Northern Ireland.

Health on the Hill

PAGE 3 HEALTH MATTERS – July 2010

Asitis Consulting can provide an in-depth weekly monitoring service for clients. Phone or email for

further details

“The e-zine looks really good” Bill Halliday, MindWise


The Vuvuzela has been blamed for ruining the pitch side atmosphere of this World Cup, but could the now ubiquitous instrument cause long-term hearing damage?

RNID have urged FIFA to monitor matchday sound levels in World Cup stadia and ensure that earplugs and hearing protection are available to minimise the risks of temporary tinnitus or permanent hearing damage posed by over-exposure to vuvuzelas.

Checking your hearing can take only 90 seconds, but 90 minutes of live World Cup football could have a lifetime effect on your ability to hear, says RNID, the largest UK charity working on hearing loss and hearing health.

RNID’s Audiology Specialist, Crystal Rolfe, says: “One vuvuzela just behind you will hit you with more than 125 decibels of sound - much louder than a road drill - which will really hurt your ears and, when added to hours of partying with loud music in pubs and clubs, can cause permanent hearing loss over time. With thousands of fans playing vuvuzelas at the same time, the accumulated noise will be even greater.”

The message is timely as 28 June – 4 July marks Deaf Awareness Week 2010 when RNID released its latest findings on attitudes to deafness and hearing loss across the UK. 60% of people surveyed agree that it can be ‘embarrassing’ to start conversations with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Yet, most people are unaware that they themselves can be permanently deafened by loud noise.

The new report found that hearing loss has a major impact on family life, often caused by a wide scale lack of awareness about the best ways to talk to someone with a hearing loss. It also highlights the importance of tackling hearing loss early, to minimize the risks of difficulties with family relationships.

So, the message is, protect your hearing now, and check it regularly in future.

For information on earplugs and how to protect your hearing, visit www.dontlosethemusic.com

Throughout the World Cup, RNID is encouraging

football fans to value their hearing and take the charity’s hearing check by visiting www.rnid.org.uk/check or calling 0844 800 3838.

“One vuvuzela just behind you

will hit you with more than 125 decibels of

sound”...


Alexander House,17a Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, BT2 8HD

T. 028 90 438 677 | F. 028 90 324 685 | [email protected]

Jim Wells was half way up Slieve Binnion when he got the call asking him to chair the Assembly’s Health Committee.

Almost exactly 12 months on, there must be times when

the DUP MLA wished he’d stayed up the mountain. Jim Wells sees his role as holding the Health Minister

to account – making sure that his actions are in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

“Today if you were to ask me what the three main priorities are for health I would say: budget; budget; budget,” he says.

“There’s a lot at stake,” he says. “In Northern Ireland we spend more on health than the total public spending of Afghanistan, a country with a population of 28 Million”.

These are difficult, challenging times for the Health Sector in Northern Ireland – and at the moment everyone is waiting with baited breath to see how cuts impact here.

The Government at Westminster has ring-fenced Health in the present round of cuts. But nobody yet knows what is going to happen in Northern Ireland – whether the decision will be devolved to the Executive, or whether the block grant will be made with health spending protected.

What makes the matter even more complex is that in Northern Ireland the Health Department includes Social Services, an area which in England and Wales is not ring-fenced and is a local government rather than central government responsibility.

“40% of all public spending is on health. If it is ring-fenced, the remaining 60% is going to take a colossal hit. Personally I think that the general public in Northern Ireland will go along with that – they would rather have cuts to roads and even farming than see Health suffer.”

“They would rather that a woman with cancer received treatment than a new by-pass was built for instance.”

He points out that there are an estimated 100,000 people working in the sector across Northern Ireland, making it by far the biggest source of employment.

“Every single person in Northern Ireland has a relative who works in the health sector,” he says. “It is huge and is of massive importance to the entire economy.”

At present nobody at Stormont knows what will happen but there are three possibilities: the entire department’s spend will be protected; the NHS in

Northern Ireland will be protected; or else the decision will be left to the Executive.

If Health were to share its full burden of cuts, that would equate to 15%, and if that were to happen we’d be entering very difficult territory indeed.

According to Mr Wells that means hospital closures compulsory redundancies and consequences that people here would not be prepared to tolerate.

On the other hand he does believe that the current round of 3% efficiency savings is achievable.

“I come across areas where we could make savings without effecting front line services all the time. Here’s just three examples: we could save £60 million a year by switching to generic medicines; we could dismantle the unnecessary Equality industry around health; and we could dispense with the massive bonuses we pay to consultants every year.”

“So there’s no question that we can deal with the 3% issue.”

He does, however, have serious concerns about social welfare if its budget bears the full brunt of cuts. Here he has special concerns for the protection of children at risk from abuse.

Mr Wells is concerned that the focus on budgetary cuts has deflected attention from another massive issue which has impacted the Health Service:

He said: “ If we’re not very careful we’re going to end up with just two hospitals, one in Altnagelvin and one in Belfast.

He expressed concern at the downgrading of hospitals right across Northern Ireland which has led to a situation where there are vast swathes of the province which no longer have ready access to acute services.

“This causes huge stress and concern, “ he says. “We really need to be designing a service which meets the needs of the community rather than doctors.

He believes that much of the problem is caused by doctors not wanting to work in local hospitals, and says they should be made to.

“My brother was a policeman based in Cookstown. If he was told to work in Donaghadee, he did not get the option of telling the Chief Constable that staying in Cookstown was better for his career, he just had to go.

“Nobody’s saying they have to move house. I don’t understand why the Health Service thinks its okay for health workers to commute from Downpatrick to Belfast but that somehow it’s unreasonable to expect doctors to commute from the Malone Road to Downpatrick. This needs to be sorted out.”

Jim Wells – Chairman, Assembly Health Committee Profile

Health Matters - Issue 5

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Transcript of Health Matters - Issue 5