The Upper Bann MLA said, “The current rate of between one and three PEG insertion surgeries performed weekly is grossly inadequate as there is a backlog of 55 children, with some waiting nearly three years. It was an honour to meet with just some of those children who are on the waiting list as they came to Stormont today with a letter outlining their case.
These are very young children who are on a waiting list for the most formative years of their lives. There is a need for a plan to deal with these waiting times and for parents to be better informed about the process. They should be informed about what discussions are ongoing with other hospitals across the UK, how this might affect waiting times and how parents are informed about their child’s status.
The parents involved, and most importantly the children who are on the list, are not interested in how these problems have arisen but they want to see a pathway for the future. Whether it has arisen due to the Covid pandemic, industrial action or resource shortages, many of these issues were also faced by other NHS trusts who have since resumed normal surgical schedules.
These children’s lives and well-being are being directly affected. I would hope their presence at Stormont today can spark the action they so desperately need.”