OPINION: Time to confront Darwinian approach to healthcare transformation - Derry MLA

I’m frustrated that we’re seemingly no further forward on this issue- spouting the same rhetoric, the same dire statistics we did in February, when the Assembly supported a motion on establishing an Action Plan on Health Waiting Lists or in June, when the SDLP Opposition tabled a motion on Cross Border Healthcare, calling for a collaborative approach to this deepening crisis.

Years of inaction, underinvestment, and political paralysis have pushed our health service into a state of emergency. For five of the last seven years we’ve been without a functioning government, unable to drive or fund the transformation our health system so desperately needs.

The need for transformation is obvious but Bengoa can’t be used as a fig leaf for every collapse and closure across the health service. People want transformation which means they can access treatment sooner.

The Darwinian approach within health needs challenged. Recent cuts, like those to phlebotomy and vasectomy services—procedures that GPs delivered at a snip of the price—demonstrate a worrying trend. Some of these cuts have been reversed but the underlying issue remains: newer, transformative and cost-saving services that truly make a difference are being sacrificed due to a ‘last in, first out’ approach.

The current system is shambolic; we’ve patients crossing the border in their busloads for procedures in the North such as cataract surgeries while patients here can’t access the same treatment in a timely manner. The question we should be asking is, ‘Would you rather travel two hours or wait two years for healthcare?’ A more strategic, all-island healthcare model would benefit everyone, ensuring quicker access to vital treatments and better health outcomes across the board. The success of the ROI Reimbursement Scheme is testament to the need to drive cross border solutions and I’d very much welcome it’s return as an interim solution to agonising waits for elective surgery.

Harmonising pay across border regions is also crucial to prevent a mass exodus of specialist staff but pay is just one part of the puzzle—equally important are robust retention and recruitment strategies to keep our healthcare system sustainably staffed with the expertise it desperately needs.

This Executive appear to have lulled themselves into complacency and absolved themselves of any responsibility. You can’t decry Whitehall while the North decays. The failure to deliver timely healthcare not only costs the public purse dearly, but costs lives. That’s where the focus needs to be. People want to see an Executive that doesn’t just say they’ll ‘do what matters most’ but actually does it. That means transparency around monies invested, budget cuts applied and a workable framework that offers a ladder for our health service to climb out of the dark depths to which it’s been pushed.

I recognise the need for additional funding from the Treasury but also call for a genuine commitment from the Executive to do things differently. Not only do we need to transform our care, but we must also transform recruitment, retention, and fair compensation of staff. We must build a system that will support, not suffocate innovation.