Cardiac equipment supply not linked to protocol, says southern trust
- Published
Difficulties in obtaining cardiac equipment were not linked to the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Southern Health Trust has said.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said equipment had to be sourced from another country "because of the [NI] Protocol".
He said this led to delays for patients awaiting life-saving heart surgery.
The trust said the parts were sourced from Germany early in August and work completed by 18 August.
It added: "Extensive efforts were made to source replacement parts in both the Republic of Ireland and the UK but unfortunately given the size of the equipment required, it had to be sourced from the manufacturing site in Germany."
Manufacturer Siemens said it could also confirm that there was no delay in supplying the parts caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.
On Friday, Sir Jeffrey told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme that patients waiting for life-saving heart surgery in a cardiac unit in a Belfast hospital "had to wait three weeks because the equipment had to be sourced from another country because we couldn't get it from our own country because of the protocol".
"Now those problems are real and they need to be dealt with," he added.
The protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods - avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.
But it means new checks on goods arriving from Great Britain.
Sir Jeffrey said equipment had to be sourced from another country "because of the Protocol"
On Friday, the Belfast Health Trust said there was "no substance" to Sir Jeffrey's comments.
"There have been no delays, the trust has not had to outsource supplies of equipment and business is running normally," a spokesperson said.
On Tuesday, Sir Jeffrey said he stood by his comments and said that the issue arose when people waiting for cardiac surgery in the Southern Trust had to be transferred to the Belfast Trust for treatment due to parts for an angiogram needing to be sourced from Germany.
"I stand by what I said, the protocol is causing problems," he added.
Twenty patients were transferred
However, on Wednesday morning, the Southern Trust said the issue was "not related to the Northern Ireland Protocol".
In a statement, it said it experienced difficulties with its cardiac catheterisation service in early August.
It said these were due to "to significant faults with the transfer of images and cabling fractures in our cath lab".
"The replacement cabling was shipped from Germany and the work was able to be completed on Friday 18 August. Following checks we were able to recommence the cath lab lists.
"Given that the service would be suspended for a period of time, we liaised with colleagues in the Belfast Trust to facilitate the transfer of 20 patients to have their procedures completed.
"There have been no further issues with the equipment since the cabling was replaced."
Alan Stout from the British Medical Association said he had not heard of issues with the supply of equipment due to the protocol.
"We have an awful lot of contact obviously with our colleagues, but also with the trusts, and very regularly with the department as well," he said.
"And this isn't a problem that has been flagged and isn't a problem that is contributing to do some of the difficulties, or a lot of the difficulties, that we have in the health service at the moment, so it is not something that has been on our radar at any point as, as being an issue."
'NI in better position that GB'
The independent think tank the Nuffield Trust said after meeting health experts in the summer that Northern Ireland was "quite well served by continued adherence to EU regulations" in relation to medical devices.
Much of its meeting related to medicines and heard that immediate problems around supply had been averted, however there are concerns about the longer term impact of regulatory divergence between the EU and GB.
The trust also discussed medical devices.
It said if the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill led to more checks at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, that could have "serious effects".
"In particular, it might endanger the position of medical devices. We heard that these, unlike medicines, are being quite well served by continued adherence to EU regulations, with Northern Ireland in a better position than Great Britain," it added.
"Northern Ireland's supply comes mainly from the EU: new frictions with the European single market at the expense of fewer frictions with Great Britain would likely be a net loss."
Unionist parties argue that the protocol has undermined Northern Ireland's place within the UK by effectively creating a trade border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The DUP has blocked the restoration of power-sharing in its protest against the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
BBC News NI has approached the DUP for comment, but it has not yet responded.
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- Published2 February
