NI Health: Paediatricians call for return to power-sharing

Children of low income families are suffering because of Northern Ireland's political vacuum and the deepening cost of living crisis, paediatricians have warned.

Members of The Royal College of Paediatricians and Child Health said patients were missing important appointments because of travel costs.

They also said parents were skipping meals in order to feed their children.

Dr Raymond Nethercott said Stormont should get back up and running.

Stormont ministers remain in place but they do not have full powers to take major decisions or make new policy.

That is because there is no functioning executive without a first and deputy first minister.

"We are seeing more children and families needing and seeking help," Ireland officer Dr Nethercott told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"In many ways they're not getting the help they need outside the hospital environment.

"They end up in greater distress than they really need to be."

He said it meant small minor illnesses became more difficult to deal with with those from deprived backgrounds particularly suffering.

"They are missing appointments as they can't afford travel, especially in rural areas," he said.

"People in low paid jobs just cant afford to take time off to bring their children to appointments."

He said there were certain points in children's developmental stages where there are opportunities for intervention.

"When we miss those interventions we struggle to catch up," he added.

"Children do not have the luxury of waiting. Once they step through that window, that window closes.

"If we are missing because our waiting lists are getting longer then we will continue to struggle."

He said the Covid-19 pandemic had made things "significantly worse".

"The time for action is now. The further we kick the can down the road the more difficulty the children and their families are going to have," he said.

Dr Nethercott said the rising cost of living was also a factor, while more young people in mental health distress were attending paediatricians as the first point of call.

He said he had one message for politicians in Northern Ireland.

"Please find a way to move Northern Ireland forward - we cannot live with this uncertainty.

"Waiting until September or October until maybe the secretary of state calls an election - that's just too far for many families."

Sinn Féin won the most seats in May's assembly election but the DUP will not re-enter a power-sharing executive until its concerns about the Northern Ireland protocol are addressed.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said that he was "totally in support" of what Dr Nethercott had said.

"We must develop and improve the health service," he told Good Morning Ulster.

"Thankfully we do have a health minister in place and there are a number of things that work can be done now on," he said.

He said his party was trying to resolve the issues the Northern Ireland Protocol had brought.

"I have yet to hear any of the issues that other parties are trying to resolve in terms of the protocol.

"That's what we are doing and hopefully if everyone does that we can try to get through this and deal with problems such as the ones the doctor has alluded to.

"I don't think we should unintentionally mislead people into thinking that if an executive was in place in the morning that these issues would be resolved - they have been many years in the making and need to be resolved as soon as practically possible and we need additional resources."