Covid-19: Robin Swann announces health service support funds

New grant schemes for charities and carers have been launched by Health Minister Robin Swann.

The Cancer Charities Support Fund and Mental Health Support Fund will each receive £10m, while £4m has been allocated to the Carers Support Fund.

A further £15m will be given to health trusts, to boost the support available for healthcare workers.

The funding has come from one-off Covid-19 emergency monies provided to the Department of Health (DoH).

"I would of course love to be able to allocate further funding, on a recurrent basis, to all these areas," said Mr Swann.

"But, as ever, available recurrent funding is not keeping up with levels of demand and need."

The Cancer Charities Support Fund has been set up to help charities access funding to support cancer services in the community.

The health minister said he acknowledged that the Covid-19 pandemic has had "a significant impact" on cancer services.

"I will shortly be publishing a cancer recovery plan to stabilise cancer services as we continue to emerge from the most recent surge period," he said.

"Cancer services were already worryingly stretched before Covid so the plan will also set key actions needed to put them on a long-term sustainable footing."

The minister said the impact of the pandemic on mental health "lags behind physical health, with the mental health surge now starting".

"In-patient mental health services are experiencing extreme demand and have never been under more pressure," he said.

Mr Swann said he intends to publish a new mental health strategy later this year, which will "further enhance the role of the community and voluntary sector in improving mental health in Northern Ireland".

Speaking about the new Carers Support Fund, the minister said the debt the health service and wider society owes to unpaid carers "cannot be overstated".

"Without care provided by family members and friends, many vulnerable people would have been plunged into a full scale crisis over the past 12 months."

He said the fund will provide "practical support and acknowledgement" to an "important sector".

Mr Swann said the funding allocated to health trusts is intended to "provide both general support and specific support" to nursing staff.

The £15m will be split equally between the five local health trusts.

"I have asked that a significant focus be given to supporting the practical day-to-day needs of staff such as improving comfort in the workplace and making sure funding is available for staff that want to undertake additional education or training," said Mr Swann.

"It's the least we could do."