AQW 21868/11-15

Mr David McClarty
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 16/04/2013
Answered On Date: 01/05/2013
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety why funding has been made available to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust since the dismissal of its Chairman to make improvements to the Accident and Emergency department in Antrim Area Hospital; and how much funding has been provided.

Answer:

The allocation of funding for hospital services is a matter for the Health and Social Care Board as service commissioner. I am advised by the Board that additional funding has been allocated to the Northern Health and Social Care Trust from 2011/12 onwards with the express aim of improving performance. Some additional inpatient capacity was also provided with a view to it contributing to an overall improvement in the unscheduled care pathway in Antrim Area Hospital.

The Board has advised that there are three investments where funding was made on or after December 2012:

£22,000 non-recurrent funding for community in-reach coordinators, two Band 2 nurses to promote safe, effective and timely discharge of patients to community services;

£800,000 non-recurrent for reablement;

£400,000 non-recurrent for emergency care services, part of the £1.8 million investment mentioned below.

The Northern Trust has also received funding for a number of other projects which commenced before December 2012 but continues to be funded after December 2012:

£973,000 recurrent for additional medical and nursing staff from October 2011 to deliver more hours of senior decision making cover in the emergency department, enhance the medical assessment unit, facilitate direct GP access and bolster nursing ratios;

£1.8 million non-recurrent in 2012/13 to maintain 14 additional beds, provide emergency theatre capacity and continue to implement an Emergency Department Action Plan. £400,000 of this was allocated in December 2012;

£408,000 non-recurrent winter pressures funding allocated in November 2012;

£99,570 non-recurrent funding from September 2012 to January 2013 for a primary care stream in the emergency department;

£40,000 non-recurrent from September 2011 to March 2013 for nursing home outreach clinics;

£3.19 million recurrent funding in 2012/13 for older people’s services, which aims to strengthen community services and support older people at home, which in turn can help reduce the need for hospital attendance and admission and reduce length of stay in hospital.