Meeting Details

This Council supports the overwhelming response from Royal College of Nurses’ (RCN) ballot in favour of industrial action; and the decision of other Health and Social Care (HSC) Trade Unions-including UNISON and NIPSA-decision to ballot members for industrial action.

Health and Social Care workers are the systems greatest assets and they are entitled to fair pay and conditions.

Over 7,000 non-medical vacancies – including 3,000 nursing post vacancies - that currently exist within the HSC system are having a detrimental impact upon patient care and adding enormous pressure to the existing HSC workforce, who are doing everything they can to care for patients. Health and social care workers are taking action as they are no longer willing to see patients being denied the care to which they are entitled.

We call on the Permanent Secretary for Health to engage respectfully and meaningfully with Trade Union representatives on a pay deal.

Furthermore we call on this Council to convene an all-party meeting with the Trade Unions representing Health and Social Care Staff to hear directly the challenges they are facing and take such action therein to support staff and patient care at this time.

That this Council, in the interests of all our residents, resolves;
to promote blood donation
to set up a meeting with the Blood Donation Service to consult on how this vital service can be better promoted
to encourage employees and the wider public to donate
to offer the use of council facilities for donation sessions
to write to sporting and community organisations to promote blood donation.

This council will support the introduction of soft opt-out organ donation legislation here in the North which will follow the example led by the introduction of the same legislation in Wales (2015), Scotland and England (2020) and the calls from the Minister of Health in the South of Ireland, Simon Harris TD, for the same to be introduced there.

The Council writes to the Housing Executive and Permanent Secretary for department of Communities to ensure that victims of domestic abuse will have access to the same 'intimidation points' that are awarded to victims of sectarian, racial or disability abuse to ensure that they are prioritised and have the best possible chance of receiving enough housing points to be reallocated to a safe home.

Further to that the Council liaise with groups such as Mid Ulster Women's Aid, Mid Ulster Association of Psychotherapy and any relative groups to ensure that victims are supported in being awarded a safe space to live free from intimidation.