'I want to work with colleagues': health minister Mike Nesbitt insists he is not looking to pick a fight with the Stormont executive on funding

Mike Nesbitt reiterated his vow not to implement cuts that would have a catastrophic impact on service delivery within the health service, making clear it was a “line in the sand” for him.

But he declined to be drawn on whether he was prepared to overspend his budget this financial year – a move that would put him on a collision course with the Department of Finance – if he does not get sufficient funding to avoid such severe cuts.

In an interview with the PA news agency, the Ulster Unionist minister said he would be “very surprised” if his department did not receive extra funding through the year, either from the in-year monitoring round reallocation process or from financial events that may flow from a change of government at Westminster.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt reiterated his vow not to implement cuts that would have a catastrophic impact on service delivery within the health service

Last week the Stormont Assembly backed a budget in a vote that saw then Health Minister Robin Swann and his UUP colleagues oppose the spending plan.

Mr Swann warned that the budget allocation for his department was significantly below what was required and risked inflicting “irreparable” damage on Northern Ireland’s health service.

Mr Nesbitt has since replaced his party colleague in post.

On Monday the chairs of Northern Ireland’s health trusts warned that the projected budget cuts in health risk causing “avoidable and serious harm” to people in need of care.

Mr Nesbitt said the types of cuts being considered had shocked him.

“We’re talking about people telling me ‘we might have to close an Intensive Care Unit bed’,” he said.

“The impact of that could be ultimate harm. So, we’re talking about deep, serious and avoidable harm and I don’t want to be in that business.”

He added: “I’m about the business, first of all, of making sure that the public and indeed MLAs and Executive colleagues are aware of how serious the health budget is in terms of its implications.

“But also by saying how can I use best the budget that I have got? How can we maximise the use of resources? And how can I work with colleagues because, believe me, I’m not looking for a fight at the Executive table, quite the opposite.

“I’m looking to work collegiately. And I’ve said as a backbench MLA that since we’ve come back, I sense a different, a better, more positive mood, and it fundamentally revolves around the determination to deliver this time. Because we all know if the Assembly goes this time, it’s probably gone for a generation, or maybe for good.

“So I want to work with colleagues.

“I understand, for example, that the Education Minister (Paul Givan) has issues with educational underachievement and the children who are healthier are likely to do better at school. But I also know that one of my areas where I want to focus on, which is health inequalities, is not just about the Department of Health intervening. The Department of Education has a role to play.

“I want to work with Conor Murphy (Economy Minister) in economy because 26% of people of working age are economically inactive. And if you look at the reasons why – health care or health, both physical and mental, is right up at the top of that league table.

“So nearly everything that we do as an Executive needs more than one department working collaboratively to fix it. So, I’m not looking for a fight. I’m looking to form a team.”

Mr Nesbitt did stress that he believed the problems besetting the health service were fixable.

He also made clear that he was prepared to make big decisions in relation to restructuring and reform. The minister said he was sure that health professionals were up for those sort of changes.

“There is a real appetite for change, there is an energy to say, if we got a minister who starts making the big, bold decisions, we will be there, we will be in support, we will make it happen,” he said.

The minister added: “I’m trying to strike a balance between being realistic and making the public and Executive colleagues and MLAs aware of how bad the budget is on the one hand, but on the other hand I want to inject a wee bit of hope back into the health service.

“It can be fixed and I don’t buy into this narrative that we’re on some sort of fatalistic downward spiral towards collapse.”

Mr Nesbitt also defended the UUP’s decision to remain within the Executive, despite voting against the budget.

“It’s far from the first time that a party that was a member of the Executive has voted against the budget,” he said.

“And I think it’s just a manifestation of the diversity within the Executive, of the difficulty of consociational or powersharing government.

“It’s just one of those factors.

“So, we have voted against the budget, but we’re continuing, because we’re not going to walk away.

“And we are optimistic that Executive colleagues will realise that the opening (budget) position cannot be the closing position in this financial year.”