Northern Ireland

Julian Smith denies using health crisis to help reboot Stormont as 'summit' takes place

Secretary of State Julian Smith has denied claims he is using the health crisis as political leverage to force Stormont's parties back into government.

He was speaking following yesterday's unprecedented strike action by 15,000 nurses across the north.

After a meeting with party leaders in Belfast, Mr Smith had warned local politicians must address the crisis "as an immediate priority".

Trade union leaders had expressed outrage that their members were being used as "political footballs" to get devolution restored.

Speaking today, Mr Smith said: "I have explained previously that I don't believe I have the power to intervene under the Good Friday Agreement, under that agreement that has provided stability to Northern Ireland, over the past decades," he said.

"Health was established as a devolved matter.

"And we're prioritising health today in terms of the talks process. And I really, really hope that if we can get the devolved institutions back up and running, that is the most sustainable way to getting pay parity for the trade unions and for the workers that have been going on strike."

Mr Smith said he did not want to get into a "blame game" with local politicians over the issue.

"But what I know is I do not have the power to direct the Northern Ireland Civil Service," he added.

"I've been working hard behind the scenes to try to see what money might be available to try to see how we can move this dispute on and my conclusion is, the best way I can help is to get a sustainable deal over a number of years that gives nurses and hospital workers what they want, and ensures that they have security and the best way to do that is that the executive gets up and running as soon as possible to ensure that those workers have stability over Christmas, but over the next two or three years as well."

A special 'health summit' of political leaders is taking place today after yesterday's strike which was a dramatic escalation of the crisis gripping the north's health service.

Nurses were joined by thousands of other healthcare workers in a unified day of action to demand pay parity with NHS colleagues in the rest of the UK as well as "safe staffing".

There are currently 7,000 empty jobs in the north's health service - including almost 3,000 nursing posts.

Hopes of an eleventh-hour deal by politicians to avert strike action were dashed after Secretary of State Julian Smith insisted it was an issue for a devolved government.

Politicians are now set to discuss the crisis today.

At today's summit, Mr Smith is to urge Stormont's leaders to make a series of commitments to tackle the crisis.

He will urge the parties to:

  • Commit to paying health workers the same as counterparts in the rest of the UK
  • Agree a three-year pay deal
  • Commit to safer staffing levels
  • Deliver 1,000 new nursing and midwifery undergraduate places over three years
  • Develop an action plan to tackle spiralling waiting times

Mr Smith denied that his request for the parties to agree a series of commitments to tackle the health crisis was evidence of the British government dictating policy to the devolved parties.

"I'm obviously going to be as activist as I can be in encouraging political leaders to deliver the commitments that I believe are needed," he said.

"That is quite different from me telling the Northern Ireland Civil Service what to do, but I'm going to do everything I can to deliver for nurses, to deliver for hospital workers by using my influence with party leaders to ensure that they get back in an executive and that they deliver for people on the front line."

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Asked if the British government would offer financial support to help address the problems in health, he said: "I'm expecting there will be a number of requests, financial requests, and I'm already in touch with the Treasury, and the key thing is that party leaders here agree to go back into the executive.

"The UK government stands ready to support that decision in any way we can."

Mr Smith would not be drawn on whether there was any likelihood of a breakthrough in the talks to restore powersharing before Christmas.

"These can be very difficult and long processes, we have had some very good engagement this week," he said.

"The most important thing is that people trust each other, and that party leaders who have got different agendas come together in the interests of Northern Ireland. I believe there is a will to do something.

"But let's see how long that takes. It's important, above all, that we have a sustainable Stormont that can last over the next decades and it's that that I want to ensure is delivered through these talks."

Thousands of hospital outpatient appointments and procedures were cancelled yesterday, with major contingency plans put in place as A&E nurses also took to the picket lines and paramedics only responded to life-threatening calls.

There were also widespread closures across many community services in areas including mental health, learning disability, older people’s and children's.

Emergency services, chemotherapy treatment, palliative care, maternity services and ICU units were among those exempted from strike action. Muckamore Abbey Hospital was also protected.

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Pat Cullen, director of the Royal College of Nursing, which took strike action for the first time in its 103-year history, said she had been "inundated" with calls from nurses who had hoped political intervention would allow the strike to be cancelled.

On Tuesday evening, the leaders of the five main parties wrote to Mr Smith to express their "collective frustration" at the crisis and asked him to restore pay parity.

Ms Cullen said her members had felt "really buoyant" about the letter and believed it could lead to a breakthrough.

Patricia McKeown of Unison, the biggest healthcare trade union, has written an open letter to civil service boss David Sterling. Picture by Mark Marlow.
Patricia McKeown of Unison, the biggest healthcare trade union, has written an open letter to civil service boss David Sterling. Picture by Mark Marlow. Patricia McKeown of Unison, the biggest healthcare trade union, has written an open letter to civil service boss David Sterling. Picture by Mark Marlow.

"So many contacted me to say they felt that at last their voices were being listened to on behalf of their patients... But once again they have been totally let down," the RCN chief told The Irish News at the Royal Victoria Hospital's picket line.

"There is a now a dawning realisation that they're being used as political footballs and they feel devastated about that. It's not in their DNA to do that to anyone. The principal reason they're here striking is to stand up for their patients.

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"What we see here today are the lowest paid nurses in all of the UK - is that any way to treat the people who provide life-preserving services every day of the week? It's not. It's no way to treat the people of Northern Ireland and certainly no way to treat nurses."

Unison, Nipsa and Unite also took part in the unprecedented walkouts.

Unison chief Patricia McKeown wrote an open letter to the head of the civil service, David Sterling, to express her anger at his failure to act in the absence of a minister.

Mr Sterling has pointed to long waiting lists for treatment and said restoring pay parity with England and Wales would cost £30m per year.

That would be equivalent to removing 120,000 people from waiting lists.

Secretary of State Julian Smith attended a picket line outside the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald earlier this month. Yesterday he spoke of his concern about the health crisis.
Secretary of State Julian Smith attended a picket line outside the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald earlier this month. Yesterday he spoke of his concern about the health crisis. Secretary of State Julian Smith attended a picket line outside the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald earlier this month. Yesterday he spoke of his concern about the health crisis.

Ms McKeown said: "We have repeatedly stated that the UK Treasury should provide whatever additional resources are needed to restore the pay gap.

"You have a clear role in making that argument to them. Health workers have kept the system running in the face of continued cuts and austerity."

Speaking last night on behalf of health service organisations, Valerie Watts, chief executive of the Health and Social Care Board, said she "fully understands the frustrations of colleagues in relation to pay and staffing levels" and "respects their right to take industrial action".

In a statement, Ms Watts said it was "too early"to assess the impact of the strike but there had been "widespread disruption" to the majority of hospital and community services.

She said while all trusts were "coping", there were reports of "significant pressures" across A&E units with bigger delays than normal as well as delayed hospital discharges.

"There is a lot of work continuing across the system to ensure that, in conjunction with union colleagues, we can mitigate disruption to urgent and time critical care. And we are very thankful to staff and unions for all of their work to help protect safe staffing levels in these areas," Ms Watts added.

"I sincerely apologise to all our patients and services users who have been impacted and distressed by the many cancellations, service closures and disruptions. This is regrettable, and Trusts will ensure appointments are rescheduled as soon as practically possible."