NI Department of Health faces £450m overspend

Northern Ireland's Department of Health is facing a £450m overspend, Stormont's Health Committee has been told.

The overspend includes the cost of implementing strategies for dealing with mental health and cancer.

Pressure on the budget means some parts of the health system may not receive the funding they need to progress.

That includes the spending of £80m to address the waiting lists backlog in the health service as a result of Covid and wider pressures on the system.

The overspend also relates to covering below-inflation pay increases and rises in the cost of energy and fuel across health and social care, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and care homes.

Less than a month ago Health Minister Robin Swann wrote to Stormont executive ministers advising that at that stage the overspend was about £400m.

It is understood the additional £50m relates to predicted energy costs and pay increases.

'On a cliff-edge'

While the executive is not functioning, the health committee is being updated about health business, particularly about budgetary matters.

Alliance Party MLA Paula Bradshaw said the department described the service as being on a "cliff-edge" on fundamental issues relating to financing the health and social care sector.

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She said: "It's beyond comprehension now how the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) can maintain that its position of blocking the formation of the executive is justified.

"The only mechanism for preventing this is through the formation of an executive, the signing off of the budget and the restarting of the ins year monitoring rounds."

Extra funding is also required for other new commitments, including an increase in the national living wage and national insurance increases.

Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew said: "Our health service is under huge pressure and it's clear that the DUP's refusal to form an executive is impacting on the ability of departments to make decisions with their current budget.

"The DUP need to get back to work and join with the rest of us to make health investment in the health service a priority.

That's what they committed to doing."