There are many IT systems across our Health Service - the biggest is Encompass, which has cost 100's of millions of pounds over the last few years. If the Southern Trust IT problem is the Encompass system, that should send shockwaves across the DOH and HSC. Stormont will need to investigate.
To be clear to HSC staff: there is currently no pay offer from the Health Minister for 25/26 to trade unions. Whilst some unions have rejected this in England, in NI, you can't reject something that hasn't been offered. Expect December/January, most likely. #NHS #NHSPay
On Monday Nipsa Branch 730 sent a Branch Statement to members on the current situation in the Belfast Health Trust. It is now available on our website 👍
www.nipsa730.org.uk/wp/2025/07/0...
Carmel Gates, Nipsa General Secretary, addresses Conference on the 2024 Nipsa Annual Report. She has covered many issues, including how Nipsa is standing up for workers rights across the public sector on Pay, privatisation, T&C's, and legal cases etc.
We're down at Nipsa Conference in Enniskillen. Nipsa President Tanya Killen is opening Conference. Updates to follow. #Nipsa
Thanks to all social work members in the Belfast Health Trust across Children's Community Services who attended our meeting today to discuss a NIPSA update on safe caseloads, vacancies, recruitment/retention etc. and future industrial action. A great turnout. Next meeting is Friday at 1pm.
Happy World Social Work Day 2025. An amazing profession that is sewn into the fabric of social and hospital care. We empower, protect, represent and stand up for the rights of individuals. Nipsa is proud to be the main representative body for SW's in Northern Ireland. #wswd2025
A big thanks to all our daytime Approved Social Work (ASW) members for the brilliant turnout and for meeting us last week. Our consultative ballot came back with 100% support from all our ASW members for Nipsa's proposal to deal with protracted waits for those requiring hospital psychiatric care.
Solidarity ✊
It is absolutely unacceptable that we again have a hugely important building in the Health Service once again facing a significant delay before becoming operational because a builder or organisation hasn't done their job right or without due diligence. Answers are urgently required.
Thanks to @profsiobhanon.bsky.social for meeting with Branch representatives today to discuss challenges for Approved Social Workers and the rights of people requiring mental health treatment, but who experience protracted waits for admission to hospital. A very good and helpful discussion.
This is a really good initiative. Many Emergency Depts. are overrun and difficult places for people with mental health issues. Often talking to a professional can help in developing appropriate pathways to support.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Solidarity from Nipsa Branch 730, Belfast Health Branch ✊
15. And to conclude, a clear plan for early intervention/treatment through timely access to, for instance, locally based GP services remains a fundamental part of any Health Service reform. If this is missing, then the objectives upon which reform is required, become so much more difficult. Ends/
14. Critically, we must act quickly to try and curb the mental health crisis developing across NI at a rapid rate. This cuts across and can impact on so many different parts of an integrated health and social care system. The current mental health strategy must be rigorously implemented.
13. Central to health reform is a clear cross departmental approach that involves the Education Authority, Dept. of Communities, Infrastructure etc. For too long these departments have been siloed and lip service paid to health joint working. Access to centralised services is critical.
12. There must be a stepped approach to recommendations such as centres of excellence providing local health care. These need to be built up with appropriately trained staff and the model built out gradually across NI based on what is working, what is required and how effective these services are.
11. The much touted Bengoa Report, significantly overlooked the critical function of social care as part of the Health Service in NI and focused mostly on Acute care. There isn't much to argue about the recommendations Bengoa made, but the lack of focus on social care is a major oversight.
10. And any reform process is at a time when there are record waiting lists, record demand across services, record numbers of children in care, record numbers of older people needing services, record number of expensive nursing homes, record waiting lists for mental health services etc.
9. The snapshot of all of the above point to one thing that is absolutely crucial - Reform! However, the pace of a clear strategy of reform is glacial at Stormont. Transitional monies outside of the current HSC budget is required if change is to be properly planned and realised and made real.
8. Cost of living crisis! HSC Trust's have faced, like everywhere else, a huge rise in heating, electricity and operating costs. Just look at how many buildings the HSC system operates out of across NI!! It is literally thousands of buildings that must be maintained for wider public use.
7. Across the HSC system, there continues to be a massive spend on Locum Doctors and Agency Staff. This continues to run into, again, hundreds of millions of pounds yearly. Vacancies in key areas such as medical consultants, Nursing and A&C staff remains, due to poor workforce planning by the DOH.
6. Another big cost to the HSC budget is the number of children that have come in to the care system with a 17% increase since the beginning of the pandemic with close to (now most likely over) 4000 children in the care system. Unaccompanied minors and austerity have impacted in this area greatly.
5. The new healthcare computer system, Encompass, has been in development for years and has cost hundreds of millions of pounds. Is this money well spent? Too soon to say as the exact cost isn't known and if the system is value for money, but more transparency is required about its actual cost.
4. This is especially important as NI has a growing number of people who will likely require care - this has been known for many years, but expensive nursing care placements and delayed discharges in hospitals, because of the lack of care services at home, contribute significantly to the HSC budget.
3. Perceptions are important - think NHS a hospital comes to mind! This is fundamentally important as the media naturally focuses on waiting lists in hospitals, social care rarely gets a mention. Yet transformation with a significantly greater focus on social care is essential for public health.
2. Firstly, important point often forgotten. NI has an established integrated health and social care system. In England and Wales, local councils run social care, so it is funded separately away from any central health budget. Scotland has made attempts to integrate services with mixed results.
1. Funding for Health and Social Care Services in NI is a sensitive subject. The Health Budget takes up in excess of 50% of the entire block grant. The question has often been asked, where does the money go, can efficiencies be made, is there waste or are we underfunded, we need reform! A thread 🧵
Despite Capita overseeing both PIP and UC Work Capability Assessments in NI, the determination of these are often not in sync. UC recipients do not always meet the criteria for the health condition element even if they are in receipt of PIP. 1/4