Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister:
“The revelations in recent days about what has being going on within the Health Service in Northern Ireland have shocked us all.
“Let no one be in any doubt about it – were it not for the fact that BBC Spotlight screened a documentary there would have been no statement to the Assembly or appearance by the Heath Minister before his committee.
“When the UUP held the Heath portfolio the DUP were quick to point out that the buck stopped with the Minister. They are not so keen on making that point now.
“Now that the issue has been exposed it is high time we got some straight answers from the Minister and to that end I have today tabled the following questions to Minister Poots:
To ask DHSSPS when and how did the minister learn of the five deaths in RVH related to ‘serious adverse incidents’.
To ask DHSSPS what guidance exists on reporting deaths to the coroner which occur in our hospitals in connection with a serious adverse incident and has such guidance been consistently followed.
To ask DHSSPS what guidance exists on the information to be conveyed to relatives of patients in hospitals who die arising from a serious adverse incident and has such guidance been consistently followed.
To ask DHSSPS a) how far are the frequent crisis conditions in hospital emergency departments contributed to by an inadequacy of associated beds for admissions; b) how do the number of such beds compare in each of our hospitals with five years ago.
To ask DHSSPS a) how many ‘serious adverse incidents’ have there been in each of our hospitals in each of the last five years; and b) of these how many have been reported to the families.