NI Minister criticises lack of detail from Republic on lockdown easing

Northern Ireland's Health Minister has criticised what he called a lack of information from the Irish Government over its easing of lockdown restrictions, which he said puts the Northern Executive "where it seems that we should be playing catch-up".

Robin Swann said the Republic had "moved without giving us a lot of consultation as to their movements", and that he had raised this with the Irish Government at a North-South meeting on Tuesday.

He said while the “strategic decision that the Irish Government made in regards to last week and in regards to how they come out of their restrictions was one for them to make, we have asked that approaching the next date, there is more of an engagement to make sure we’re on similar pages, similar understanding”.

He said he believed the Executive was taking a “measured, cautious approach” in its relaxation of the coronavirus restrictions.

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A spokesman for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, said he and Tánaiste Simon Coveney, did inform their Northern counterparts ahead of their announcement on Friday that the relaxation of some coronavirus-related restrictions would be accelerated.

There has been criticism from industry bodies in the North that the pace of reopening has lagged behind that of the Republic.

In particular, there have been calls to reopen hotels, pubs and restaurants in the North sooner than the indicative date of July 20th, which the hospitality industry has said will put it at a competitive disadvantage to similar businesses in the Republic, which can reopen at the end of June.

Speaking at the Northern Executive’s daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, Mr Swann said the decision to bring forward the date would be a matter for the Executive when it meets on Thursday and he would not “pre-empt” this, though he also said one alternative could be a “cafe-style approach where people are outdoors”.

The North's Department of Health had earlier warned that sustained additional funding and investment is needed to rebuild Northern Ireland's health service in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Framework document

The department published a strategic framework document for rebuilding health and social care services in the North on Tuesday.

“The department’s budgetary position continues to be hugely challenging, with the department facing a funding shortfall in respect of forecast inescapable pressures necessary to maintain existing services,” it said.

The department recorded no coronavirus-related deaths in Northern Ireland for a third day in a row on Tuesday. A total of 702 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, and three people had tested positive for the virus.

The number of coronavirus-related fatalities reported by the department in the North remains at 537.

The document also outlined the impact of coronavirus on the health service in the region, which had already been facing significant challenges, not least from long and growing waiting lists, before the coronavirus crisis began.

Speaking in the Northern Assembly, Mr Swann said the percentage of patients receiving non-coronavirus-related hospital care has fallen by up to two-thirds in Northern Ireland.

Waiting lists that had been “unacceptable” before Covid-19 were “even more horrendous now”, he said.

“For instance, outpatient activity is down between 40 per cent and 55 per cent and inpatient activity by between 34 per cent and 67 per cent – both compared to the similar period last year,” he said.

Cancer services

The North’s six hospital trusts also published plans on Tuesday setting out their proposals for resuming services in the immediate period to June 30th, while work has begun on resuming the full range of cancer services.

The document warned that the impact of coronavirus on health and social care services will be “profound and long-lasting”, and services will not be able to resume as normal for some time due to the need to adhere to social distancing and for increased volumes of personal protective equipment (PPE).

It also noted that coronavirus restrictions, while necessary, have “impacted on the wider economic and social environment, with both long- and short-term effects on population health”.

“Emerging research indicates that population health is, on balance, likely to be negatively affected by the wider impacts of Covid-19,” and that the greatest effects were likely to be felt by the most disadvantaged.

It also noted that the suspension of screening and testing programmes during the pandemic “will have resulted in some diseases going undetected or untreated longer than is desirable, with potential impact on long-term health outcomes”.

The estimated backlog created by the suspension of breast and cervical cancer screening programmes is estimated at 12,800 mammograms and 45,000 cervical tests as of May 31st.

Adverse impact

Uncertainty and concern over the pandemic and the impact of lockdown is also likely to have had an adverse impact on mental health, and there is likely to be a “significant need” in this area as Northern Ireland emerges from lockdown.

Mr Swann said some innovations introduced during the lockdown would be retained. “Decisions were taken at pace, services were reconfigured, mountains were moved. Staff have worked across traditional boundaries time and time again,” he said.

“I cannot thank them enough. We must build on that spirit in the months and years ahead. Innovations like telephone triage and video consultations will be embedded in primary and secondary care.”

He did not want to “simply restore the health and social system to the way it was at the beginning of 2020”.

“That would do a disservice to our great staff and the people of Northern Ireland. I honestly believe we can make it better.

“That will require patience, careful planning, sustained investment and collective support – not just around the Executive table but across society as a whole.”