MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AT 2:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, 09 JANUARY 2002 IN ROOM 135, PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Present:

Dr J Hendron (Chairman)
Mr P Berry
Rev R Coulter
Mr T Gallagher (Deputy Chairman)
Mr J Kelly
Mr A McFarland
Ms M McWilliams
Ms S Ramsey
Mrs I Robinson

In Attendance:

Mr P Hughes (Committee Clerk)
Mr D Harkin (Assistant Clerk)
Mrs K McFerran (Executive Support)
Mr B Greene (Administrative Support)

Dr Hendron took the Chair at 2:00 pm.

Private Session

Apologies

There were no apologies.

1. Chairman's Opening Remarks

On behalf of all the members, the Chairman welcomed two new members of staff, Mr Peter Hughes, Committee Clerk, and Mr Barry Greene, Clerical Officer.

2. Minutes of the Last Meeting

The minutes of the meeting of 12 December 2001 were agreed.

3. Matters Arising

i. The Chairman reported that the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) had verbally declined the Committee's request for a meeting to discuss the current crisis in the health service and the need for extra funding.

Agreed: The Clerk will contact OFMDFM to request a formal response to the Committee's request, in advance of any further action.

ii. Agreed: Following some concerns raised by members on the content of a press statement in relation to health service pressures, arising from the Committee meeting of 12 December 2001, the Committee agreed on the need to formalise arrangements for the issue of press statements.

iii. The Department has confirmed that it liaises with the Food Safety Promotion Board, via the Food Standards Agency, on all food-related proposals for Statutory Rules and with the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development on relevant cross-cutting legislation.

Mrs Robinson joined the meeting at 2:32 pm.

Public Session

[2:50 pm]

4. Report by the Committee Chairman on his visit to Craigavon Area Hospital on Tuesday, 08 January 2002

The Chairman prefaced his opening remarks on the visit by emphasizing that Committee members were acutely aware of the immense pressures affecting all the main hospitals as result of recent visits to the A&E departments of Belfast City Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Ulster Hospital. It was on this basis that a future work programme had been agreed by the Committee in December last to include further visits to the Downe District Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, the Mater Hospital and the Mid-Ulster Hospital (to be arranged) in January and February 2002.

The Chairman advised that he had made a preliminary visit to Craigavon Area Hospital because of the current crisis in the hospital, particularly in A&E, due to the virus outbreak and closure of wards in the Royal Victoria Hospital. This has also affected other hospitals. He praised all the staff - doctors, nurses, managers and auxiliary staff - for the professional way in which they are responding to the emergency.

Patients were being forced to wait for long periods on trolleys in corridors until beds are available. This was causing distress to patients and staff. The Chairman voiced his concern that, while staff were doing their utmost to provide patients with the best care possible, there was a danger that if the problems persisted then the goodwill of staff would be lost.

The Chairman emphasized that while the virus had added to the shortage of hospital beds, there were associated problems including the lack of funding for community care packages. He welcomed the start to tackling the problem made possible by the Minister's recent allocation of additional resources for the health service. Solutions must be found to the main problems in the provision of health care so that they can be avoided next winter.

In order to help tackle the crisis situation facing hospitals, the Chairman suggested that an emergency taskforce of clinical staff and senior administrators should be set up to examine the use of resources and manpower in the acute sector, and to report within weeks. He emphasized that administrative boundaries in the health service should not restrict the ability to provide the optimum level of care to all patients.

5. Subordinate Legislation

i. Statutory Rule No. 419 - Miscellaneous Food Additives (Amendment No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Question put and agreed to:

That the Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee has considered Statutory Rule No. 419 - Miscellaneous Food Additives (Amendment No.2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and, subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being satisfied as its technical correctness, has no objection to the Rule.

ii. Statutory Rule No. 429 - Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Question put and agreed to:

That the Health, Social Services and Public Safety Committee has considered Statutory Rule No. 429 - Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001 and, subject to the Examiner of Statutory Rules being satisfied as its technical correctness, has no objection to the Rule.

iii. The Food Protection (Emergency Provisions) (Revocation No. 2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001

The Committee noted The Food Protection (Emergency Provisions) (Revocation No.2) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001. This has the effect of lifting restrictions on activities associated with the consumption of scallops.

iv. General Dental Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

The Committee noted the General Dental Services (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002, which is a Statutory Rule proposal that general anaesthesia for dental treatment should only take place in a hospital setting, and agreed to seek a briefing paper from the Department on the following points:
· why the proposed commencement date of 1 February 2002 for Northern Ireland lags behind GB, where the new legislation came into effect from 1 January 2002?
· what hospitals will be involved and what will be the implications for waiting lists?
· why was the Committee not alerted to the £1.5m additional funds provided to the HSS Boards for the transfer of general anaesthesia from general dental practice to hospitals as a Departmental Budget bid; and where did this funding come from?

v. The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002

Agreed: The Committee was content with the Department's proposal for The Optical Charges and Payments (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002.

6. Committee Stage of the Personal Social Services (Amendment) Bill: Oral Evidence

A. Carers Northern Ireland

Panel Members: Ms Helen Ferguson, Director of Carers NI
Mr Tom McNeill, NI Committee of Carers
Mr Tony McGurk, Barnardos' Young Carers Scheme

The Chairman welcomed the panel to the meeting at 3:45 pm, after which Ms Ferguson and her colleagues spoke to a briefing paper on the main issues arising from the Bill, which had been copied to members in advance. This was followed by a question-and-answer session, and the entire proceedings are recorded separately in verbatim minutes of evidence. The Chairman thanked the panel for their helpful analysis, and they left the meeting at 4:20 pm.

Mr Kelly and Mrs Robinson left the meeting at 4:02 pm and 4:19 pm respectively.

The meeting was suspended at 4:21 pm and resumed at 4:23 pm.

B. HSS&PS Departmental Officials

Panel Members: Mr Peter Deazley, Child and Community Care Unit
Mr John Clarke, Child and Community Care Unit
Mr Robin MacRory, Elderly and Community Care Unit
Ms Margaret Sisk, Elderly and Community Care Unit

The Chairman welcomed the Officials to the meeting at 4:23 pm, after which Mr Deazley made a brief introductory comment on the background to and purpose of the Bill. This was followed by a question-and-answer session, and the entire proceedings are recorded separately in verbatim minutes of evidence. The Chairman thanked the Officials for their time and explained that they would be re-invited to attend the Committee's clause by clause consideration of the Bill, which will commence on 16 January 2002. The panel left the meeting at 4:45 pm.

In response to a query raised by Ms McWilliams as to why the title of the Bill was not more descriptive of its intent, the Officials agreed to consult with the Department's Parliamentary Draughtsman and come back to the Committee on the point.

7. Executive Programme Fund for Children: Draft Response

Agreed: In view of time pressures, and in order to afford a proper consideration to the response, it was agreed to defer this item until next week's meeting.

8. DHSS&PS Draft Service Delivery Agreement (SDA)

The SDA will underpin the commitments given in the Programme for Government (PfG). It aims to concentrate on the various inputs required to achieve the outcomes highlighted in the PfG and the Public Service Agreement. It should provide a more detailed picture of the actions to be undertaken and the targets to be met. The Department has requested comments by 31 January, with the intention of finalising the SDA in February for publication in March 2002.

Agreed: The Committee will consider the draft SDA at its meeting scheduled for 23 January, at which Departmental Officials will be invited to attend, with a view to agreeing a response at its meeting on 30 January 2002.

9. Arrangements for ending GP Fundholding Scheme

Agreed: The Committee noted a Departmental circular outlining the arrangements under which the current GP Fundholding Scheme will cease from 1 April 2002. The Clerk will draft a short paper identifying the main areas of concern arising from the closure process.

The Clerk will additionally invite the Chief Executive of the Eastern HSS Board to a forthcoming Committee meeting to speak to the main issues involved in the transition to the new primary care arrangements and to outline what plans are in place to facilitate the process.

Rev R Coulter left the meeting at 5:00 pm.

Private Session

10. AOB

i. Agreed: The Committee will accede to a request from Ms Elvira Lowe, co-chair of the Ulster Cancer Foundation's Patient Forum, for it to host a meeting with representatives of that organisation. The Clerk will arrange a suitable date for an informal lunchtime meeting.

ii. Agreed: In light of the current pressures facing the independent residential care sector, and the problems in the provision of community care, the Committee agreed to a request from the Registered Nursing Home Association and the Northern Ireland Care Homes Confederation for a meeting with the Committee. The Clerk will arrange for an urgent slot in the Committee's future work programme.

iii. Agreed: In light of its extremely heavy workload, the Committee regretfully declined a request from the Nightingale Project Ltd to make a presentation. However, the Committee emphasized that it has been made aware of the major issues of concern for carers during the Committee Stage of the Personal Social Services (Amendment) Bill.

iv. Agreed: In the light of a request from Westcare Business Services for a development visit to Stormont on Wednesday, 13 February 2002, the Clerk will arrange for the group to have a tour of Parliament Buildings and to observe part of a HSS&PS Committee meeting.

v. Agreed: It was agreed not to accede to a verbal request from Omagh District Council for a meeting to discuss the siting of an area hospital for the south west, for the reasons previously stated.

vi. The Committee noted a paper from the Southern HSS Board highlighting a new pharmaceutical palliative care service in that area, which it will consider at next week's meeting.

9. Date and Time of the Next Meeting

The next meeting will be at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, 16 January 2002 in Room 135, Parliament Buildings. This will be preceded by a visit to Downe District Hospital in the morning.

The meeting ended at 5:55 pm.

DR J HENDRON
COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

January 2002

12 December 2001 / Menu / 16 January 2002