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Ulster Unionist Assembly member for Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott MLA has received an assurance from Southern Health & Social Care Trust that they will address the chronic shortage of adequate car parking spaces at South Tyrone and Craigavon Area Hospitals.

Tom said: “I first raised this issue in 2006 when the new Health centre was opened at the South Tyrone Hospital and the reduction of car parking spaces at the hospital. This was further compounded with the increased hours of the Minor Injuries Unit at South Tyrone Hospital in 2007 and the problems that many patients encountered with the limited number of car parking spaces available.

The same problem was encountered by patients and visitors attending Craigavon Area Hospital and with all the redevelopments on this site, there is an urgent need for additional parking at this site. In many instances patients and visitors were forced to park at roundabouts and roads approximately half a mile from the site.

I have received confirmation from the Trust that it has plans to increase parking at South Tyrone Hospital through the demolition of nissen huts when funding is available for this purpose and this will provide additional capacity. In respect of Craigavon Area Hospital; I understand there are plans for significant additional car parking.

I trust that the necessary funding will be made available as soon as possible and provide much needed additional car parking at both hospitals

Ulster Unionist Stormont Health Committee Members, Rev Robert Coulter and John McCallister, have today welcomed the Health Minister’s roadmap towards making free personal care a reality.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey today said that the department would:

- look to exclude the family home from the financial assessment

- explore the possibilities of increasing thresholds above which people must pay for their care

- explore the possibilities of increasing the minimum personal expenses allowance

- reach early conclusions on the steps I may be able to take within the existing legislative framework

- work to the timeline for implementation of Free Personal Care of April 1 2010.

Ulster Unionist Health Spokesperson Robert Coulter described today as an “historic and momentous step towards securing fairness for older people and their families”.

Rev Coulter said: “This has been a good day for families across Northern Ireland. The injustice of hardworking families being cruelly penalised in old age will become a thing of the past.

“The Minister has given the Assembly a clear timetable for the implementation of free personal care. It is now up to the Executive to back the Health Minister and ensure that he is given the tools to deliver.”

The North Antrim MLA added: “The UUP wants to ensure that the Health Department and the entire Executive secure sustainable funding for free personal care. Some of the other parties would have settled for an unstable, unfunded approach to free personal care. The people of Northern Ireland deserve better, which is why the Ulster Unionist Party will work to ensure that the Executive delivers the proper level of funding.”

South Down MLA John McCallister added: “While the Assembly and Executive moves towards the implementation of free personal care, the Minister’s commitment to seek ways to remove the family-home from the means-test sends a signal that the worst injustices of the present system will be removed quickly.”

Rev Dr Robert Coulter MLA, Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman, who successfully sponsored a private member’s bill proposing a new category of crime - with increased punishments for attacks on doctors, nurses, health workers and social workers- in the Assembly on Tuesday said today that he was now writing to First Minister Ian Paisley to demand that the bill be made law here when policing and justice powers are devolved.

“The measure I proposed was passed unanimously by the Assembly. This means that this is not only the will of the Assembly but it is a law and order measure agreed by the whole Assembly and by all parties. I will, therefore, be writing to the First Minister, Dr Ian Paisley, to ask him to raise the matter in the Executive with a view to the Executive bringing in an Executive Bill when policing and justice powers are devolved to the Assembly. At that point, when the Assembly has the competence to deal with this, there can be no doubt now that this will become the law.”

“This will send a clear signal to the yobs who attacks nurses, doctors, health workers, social workers, ambulance workers and fire fighters that they will now face nine months in jail. Attacks on health workers never happened in the past and this is a new category of crime. It is unacceptable in any civilised society and now the Assembly is saying clearly that they will not tolerate it. The days when yobs could do what they like are now coming to an end. I am glad to have been the proposer of the bill which will bring this about.”

Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy has voiced his hope that the new Southern Health and Social Care Trust will hit the ground running and “bring about many opportunities to work more efficiently”.

Mr Kennedy was speaking at a reception for Southern Health and Social Care Trust at Parliament buildings on Monday afternoon. This introductory event was attended by MLAs from across all political parties and was designed to raise awareness of the work of the new trust.

In a statement, the Newry & Armagh MLA, who sponsored the event, said: “We are all familiar with the unprecedented change which is currently underway in health and social services as a result of the Review of Public Administration. Inevitably this will bring about many opportunities to work more efficiently but will also present new challenges to overcome.

“The UUP’s new Minister for Health, Michael McGimpsey, has taken on this portfolio and is well aware of the demands as well as the exciting times ahead.”

He added: “The new senior team in the Southern Trust has stressed they will operate an open-door policy to facilitate what is hoped will be the beginning of good working relationships. This is to be welcomed. I look forward to working with the trust toward ensuring a more efficient and effective service is delivered within the area.”

At the reception, Health Department Permanent Secretary Dr Andrew McCormick outlined his views on priority areas. Chairman of the Southern Trust Anne Balmer and Chief Executive Colm Donaghy also highlighted challenges and developments specific to the Southern Trust.

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, said constituents would “greatly benefit” from any future decision to scrap health prescription charges.

Dr Coulter, the UUP Health Spokesman, was speaking after backing a recent Assembly motion urging the Health Minister to establish a cost and benefit review aimed at abolishing health prescription charges as had been carried out in Wales.

The North Antrim MLA noted that in 1979, the prescription charge was 20 pence, yet by this year, it had reached £6.85.

“That is more than five times what might have been expected due to normal inflationary pressures. That simple arithmetical exercise shows how inflated prescription charges have become.”

Dr Coulter branded prescription charges as “a health tax”. He said this was why the Welsh Assembly – which had fewer devolved powers than the Stormont Assembly – had abolished prescription charges from 1st April this year.

“The purpose of levying prescription charges is now unclear. The income from them is negligible in overall terms. We must get away from continuing and perpetuating activities simply because we have always done them.

“Levying prescription charges is one of those survivals from past practice that no longer makes sound business sense for government.

“It may be argued that we need to get back to the founding principles of the National Health Service in this matter. The NHS, introduced in 1947, was a comprehensive health service that was free of charge at the point of need.

“If patients are treated free of charge at the point of need, medicines should also be free,” emphasised Assemblyman Dr Coulter.

Ulster Unionist Mid-Ulster MLA Billy Armstrong has said recent NHS changes in District Nursing Care are having a negative effect on patient care.

Mr Armstrong commented after inviting Dr Smith and Mrs Moira Doyle (Nurse) from Cookstown Heath Centre to Parliament Buildings yesterday for a meeting with Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.

In a statement Mr Armstrong said,

“I was approached by senior representatives at the Health Centre in Cookstown who are concerned at the effect that recent changes by the NHS on District Nursing Care are having on patient care.

Increased demands on administration and bureaucratic procedures are making it harder for patients to receive care because so much time is spent form filling. As a result the quality of service has reduced.

In palliative and terminal care the changes have led to a lack of continuity of care and a confusion of responsibilities. For terminal care in particular this is completely unacceptable when those dying need a sensitive and caring approach, not one driven by NHS Diktat.

In Cookstown other problems include a reduction in Treatment Room Care and out of hours services. It is alarming when health care professionals are so incensed and fed up with the changes foisted upon them that they feel they need political support. I am only too pleased to offer this support and I know from meeting with the Minister that he too is eager to listen to their concerns and act upon them.”

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member for North Antrim and UUP Health Spokesman, has said the restoration of a legislative parliament at Stormont “will greatly boost” the development of the Celtic Nations Autism Partnership with Scotland and Wales.

Dr Coulter, who is the UUP Autism Ambassador with the charity and awareness group Autism Northern Ireland, noted the return of the Assembly would also see moves to have a specific Northern Ireland Autism Act as well as a special autism support centre based in the constituency “shift into top gear”.

He added: “The restoring of the power-sharing Executive on 8th May will help MLAs focus on the scale of the problem facing those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and their carers.

“At the moment, more people in the Province suffer from ASD than the combined total of people who have Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Down’s Syndrome. Indeed, several hundred children in Northern Ireland are still waiting on vital primary assessment for autism.

“In this respect, I would also warmly welcome how academics from the University of Ulster teamed up with a local charity to produce a support package for parents of children with autism.

“However, the Executive also needs to develop a number of special needs communities where young adults, post 19, could live for a short time to give ageing parents or relatives some time to relax on their own and recover from the daily strains of caring for special needs adults.

“What is also urgently needed is for all the charities and organisations which support ASD sufferers and their carers to establish a united forum across Northern Ireland.

“It is vitally important that Autism NI along with the National Autistic Society and other groups are singing from the same campaigning hymn sheet. A united forum for these groups will guarantee there is no duplication of effort and funding.

“The twin goals of ensuring the Northern Ireland Autism Act becomes law as well as securing further dedicated autism centres for the Province should act as an impetus for unity among not just the autism charities and support groups, but among all MLAs irrespective of party affiliation,” said Assemblyman Dr Coulter.

The Ulster Unionist Party has secured the Portfolios of Health and Employment and Learning in today’s meeting of Party Leaders at Stormont.

A spokesman for the Ulster Unionist Party said,

“The NHS makes a real difference to all our lives and contributes in vital ways to the quality of life we experience as individuals, in our families and in our communities. The UUP is committed to this vital public service. Our Minister will ensure that the investments made in our health service will secure access to quality healthcare and advice for all of us. The UUP believes that accountability and real partnership between a devolved executive, health professionals and patients can renew our Health Service.

In Education and Learning the UUP believes that Northern Ireland requires a competitive, dynamic, knowledge based economy that enables all –not just some- to have the skills to contribute to the success of Northern Ireland PLC. It will be a challenge. Our Minister is committed to equipping everyone with the skills and training to meet that challenge. A knowledge based economy needs sustained investment in quality training and learning.

The actual appointment of Ministers to these portfolios will take place in the coming days.”

Ulster Unionist Health Spokesman Rev Dr Robert Coulter MLA today called on the Government to abandon what he termed “the fiasco of their failed Modern Medical Careers scheme” and revert to the previous method of direct application to hospital trusts. Dr Coulter also called for the expansion of doctor training posts throughout Northern Ireland so that 400 of the brightest and best doctors in the country are not lost to patient care in Northern Ireland.

“There have been so many horrendous problems associated with the government’s Modernising Medical Careers initiative that I believe the only proper course of action is to scrap it in its entirety and revert to the previous method of recruitment. This is not something which can be patched up. It needs to go and go now.”

“This scheme will lead to 400 doctor redundancies among junior doctors in Northern Ireland alone. Each junior doctor takes at least £250,000 to train. In losing 400 doctors we will be wasting a £100 Million investment of public money, let alone the damage we will be doing to patient care. We should not be getting rid of doctors – we should be getting rid of administrators and the target driven bureucracy.”

“I know that many junior doctors are considering leaving the country, going to Australia, New Zealand and Canada and that many are considering leaving medicine altogether. That would be a national tragedy. I have never known morale in the health service to be as low as it is now.”

“There will have to be a public enquiry into the ratio of doctors to patients and the ratio of nurses to patients in our hospitals and this must be compared to the ratios in similar places like Australia. It is unthinkable that we should be making superbly trained and recently qualified doctors unemployed. Something is very badly wrong.”

“With the restoration of the Assembly and locally accountable Ministers, Northern Ireland should consider scrapping this scheme locally and getting back to some sanity in the training of our doctors and future consultants.”

Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the North Antrim Ulster Unionist Assembly member, who is also the Ulster Unionist Health spokesman, has described the Government’s 1.9% pay award to nurses as “derisory and an effective pay cut”, given that inflation is currently running at 2.7%.

Assemblyman Coulter said this “totally mean” pay rise for nurses was clear proof the National Health Service was suffering from what he branded as “terminal managementitis”.

The UUP MLA, who has just won his third successive Assembly election, added: “Nurses and other health professionals can expect to receive a rise of 1.5 per cent in April and a further one per cent in November, equivalent to an annual increase of about 1.9 per cent.

“This will lead to still more nurses walking away from the health service and going abroad. It is already a very worrying trend. This award will mean less than £500 extra a year for a newly qualified nurse earning around £19,000.

“Nurses and doctors are the most valuable element in our health service, yet here we have nurses getting what amounts to a pay cut and family doctors getting no increase at all. Yet the number of bureaucrats continues to rise.

“There is a culture of “managementitis” which, under the guise of making things more efficient, is actually a massive waste of taxpayers’ money.

“It is time we had a cull of all these layers of meaningless management pursuing endless targets they themselves set and put health professionals back in charge of the health service with a new culture of patient centredness and health professional leadership,” argued Assemblyman Dr Coulter.