Western Trust urged: ‘Just say no’ to £12.5m cutbacks

By Ciaran O’Neill

The Western Trust has been urged to ‘just say no’ to proposals to cut £12.5m from its budget before the end of next March.

The five health trusts in Northern Ireland have been told by the Department of Health that they must implement savings of a total of £70m.

The Western Trust’s Board held a public meeting on Thursday to outline the impact that the proposed cuts will have on its services.

The meeting at the Trust headquarters at Altnagelvin Hospital was told that the local health body has been asked to find a total of £12.5m in savings before the end of the financial year on March 31 next year.

Board members outlined the wide range of options which have been put forward in a bid to make the savings.

However, there was an angry response to the proposed cutbacks from members of the public, local politicians and trade union representatives at the meeting.

What looks set to be one of the most controversial proposals, would be to ‘consolidate’ the services currently offered to the elderly at the William Street and Rectory Field Residential Homes in Derry.

This would mean one of the homes closing and its residents being moved to the other facility.

In 2015, a public consultation was held about the future of the two local residential homes amid concerns that they were to be closed.

However, a major campaign was launched and additional money was found within the health budget to keep them open.

Now, however, there will be new concern for residents of the two homes and their families following today’s announcement.

The proposal involving the two homes was one of a large number put forward by the Western Trust Board as areas where savings could possibly be made.

One of the other areas of proposed savings would involve a reduction in elective (non-emergency) surgery, which Thursday’s meeting was told would lead to an increase in waiting times for those in need of surgery.

Niall Birthistle, acting chair of the Western Trust, told the meeting that they did not wish to be in a position where cuts had to be made.

He stressed that the Trust was already under ‘severe financial pressure’ before being asked to make the new cuts.

However, Mr Birthistle said they had an obligation as a Board to put forward a plan of how savings could be made.

He said the plan would be put out for public consultation and urged people to put forward their views during the consultation which lasts until October 5.

He said that the Board would consider submissions made during the consultation process before submitting a final plan to the Department of Health.

Mr Birthistle said the final decision on implementing any cutbacks would then rest with the department.

However, there was widespread anger at Thursday’s meeting about the proposed cuts.

A large number of people, including local politicians and trade union representatives, were allowed to address the meeting.

They all highlighted their opposition to the cutbacks.

Some of the speakers urged the Western Trust Board to tell the Department of Health that they were not prepared to implement the cuts or even put forward a savings plan.

During sometimes heated exchanges, members of the public told the Board that the cuts would lead to poorer health services and could lead to lives being lost.

However, Mr Birthistle said the Board had a legal obligation to put forward the savings plan, on which people would have the opportunity to comment upon.

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark h Durkan said his party would support any efforts to resist the health cutbacks.

He said it was important that the message was sent out that the absence of a Northern Ireland Assembly due to political wrangling was having an impact on the health service.

“Health should not be a political football but health is getting a kicking because of politics,” said Mr Durkan.

Foyle MP Elisha McCallion criticised the Tory government and the civil service for putting forward the proposed health cutbacks.

She claimed that Secretary of State James Brokenshire and senior members of the civil service were using the cuts to try and ‘put a gun at the head of politicians’ in relation to getting the Northern Ireland Assembly back up and running.

However, Mrs McCallion said her party would not be forced back in to an Assembly.

“We cannot stick a plaster on a problem in the Assembly on something that needs a Plaster of Paris.”

Eamonn McCann, the former People before Profit MLA for Foyle, urged the Board to ‘just say no’ to the proposed cuts.

He said such a move would send a ‘strong message’ to the Department of Health and government officials.

“Lobbying the Trust, the Board, the Department might be useful. But on its own it won’t do the trick.

“It’s not true there’s no money. The estimated cost of the Trident missile would cover the NHS shortfall in a twinkling. Or we could get the money by making the rich pay their fair share.

“I agree with the general secretary of one of the two biggest unions across the NHS, Len McCluskey of Unite, that is we are ever to reverse the cuts, then sooner or later we will have to consider mass civil disobedience.”

Outlining more details of the proposed cuts, Western Trust Chief Executive, Dr Anne Kilgallen said that there would be no redundancies.

“The safety of the patients and clients under our care is our utmost priority and we have borne this in mind in developing our proposals,” she said.

“The Trust has sought to protect emergency and unscheduled care, red flag and cancer patients, looked after children (child protection), frail people and people with a disability.

“It is important to note that the draft savings plan is a public consultation and that no decisions have been made regarding the implementation of the proposals contained within the plan.”

She continued: “We would encourage all members of the public to respond to our consultation which is available on the Trust’s website www.westerntrust.hscni.net or by contacting our Equality Office on (028) 82835834.”

“We will be holding a series of staff and public engagements which will be advertised locally in the media and via our website and social media sites.”