Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) the number of Rural Needs Impact Assessments (RNIAs) under the Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, carried out by his Department and its arm’s-length bodies, of policies, strategies, and services affecting rural communities; and (ii) a breakdown of (a) the number of; and (b) which, strategies and services that were enhanced as a consequence of the RNIA, in each of the last five years.
Minister of Health: The Department of Health and its Arm’s-Length Bodies (ALBs) have undertaken Rural Needs Impact Assessments (RNIAs) in line with the Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016. The table below sets out the number of RNIAs completed by each body over the past five years (2020–2025).
| Name of Public Body | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Department of Health | 31 | 21 | 17 | 30 | 24 |
| Belfast Health and Social Care Trust | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Western Health and Social Care Trust | 6 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 24 |
| South Eastern Health and Social Trust | 2 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Northern Health and Social Care Trust | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
| Southern Health and Social Care Trust | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Public Health Authority | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| NIFRS | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Three Trusts (WHSCT, SEHSCT and SHSCT) were unable to provide this breakdown, advising that the information could only be obtained through a manual review of individual RNIAs which they did not have the resources to undertake. These are recorded as ‘unable to determine’ (UTD) in the table below.
(ii)(a) The table below sets out the number of strategies and services enhanced as a consequence of the RNIA:
| Name of Public Body | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| Department of Health | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Belfast Health and Social Care Trust | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Western Health and Social Care Trust | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD |
| South Eastern Health and Social Trust | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD |
| Northern Health and Social Care Trust | 3 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| Southern Health and Social Care Trust | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD | UTD |
| Public Health Authority | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| NIFRS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
(ii)(b) The strategies and services that were enhanced as a consequence of the RNIA are:
Department of Health
2024–2025
Advocacy Service for Deaf Adults
Procurement of Hearing Aid User Support Service (HAUSS)
Sexual Health Action Plan (SHAP)
Pathology Blueprint
Children’s Emotional Health & Wellbeing Framework
2022–2023
Draft Domestic & Sexual Abuse Strategy 2023–2030
Review of General Surgery
2020–2021
Review of Urgent and Emergency Care Services in Northern Ireland
Reform of Adult Social Care
Establishment of a Regional Care and Justice Campus
Cancer Strategy for Northern Ireland 2021–2031
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
2024-2025
BHSCT implementation of encompass system for electronic health care records.
2021-2022
Rebuild Plan / Resilience Plan / Covid Surge Plan
Winter Service Delivery Plan – October 2021-March 2022
Car parking Strategy
2020–2021
Guidance for the management of Virtual Consultations in Outpatients in BHSCT
Western Health and Social Care Trust
The Trust provided the following link to support its response: Rural Needs | Western Health & Social Care Trust
South Eastern Health and Social Trust
The Trust advised the information requested is contained in its annual Rural Needs Monitoring Reports submitted to DAERA each year, available at: Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Reports
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
2024-2025
Revision of car parking management policy to reflect the introduction of the new regional enforcement contract.
Revision of Traffic Management Policy on Antrim and Causeway Hospital sites on a time limited basis
Designing a public service to deliver outdoor garden spaces across Day Service sites for people with a learning disability and employees of the Northern Trust
Revising the Parkinson’s Specialist Nurse Service Policy
Implementation of encompass system for electronic health care records
Delivering Nurse Led Pre-operative Assessment Clinics in Whiteabbey Hospital for proposed surgery in Antrim Area Hospital
Redesign of service for the delivery of treatment for cancer patients through a two-stop model and Mobile Treatment Unit
Delivery of General Surgery in the Northern Trust including Emergency Surgery and planned Elective Surgery
2023-2024
Delivery of service, New Horizons – Working it Out with Action Mental Health (AMH)
Delivery of outreach and social activity service for children with a disability and their family in Causeway locality
Activity Based Social Outreach Service for Children with a Disability
Performing Arts Day Service Provision
Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner Service
Provision of Training and Employability service
Cultural Integration Service delivery
Learning Disability (LD) Advocacy Services
Learning Disability Vocational services
Social Farming Day Services Provision through Rural Support charity
Community Respiratory Team Operational Policy
Provision of an interim Alongside Midwifery Unit (AMU) service on the Antrim Hospital site.
2022-2023
Connect North Link Worker Service
Northern Health and Social Care Trust Homecare / Northern Regional College Project
Temporary Closure of Ardrath House, Magherafelt
Acute Maternity Services Transformation Considering the Options paper
Access Employment Ltd Vocational training
Compass Advocacy Network Vocational Training Community Based Day opportunities
MENCAP Northern Ireland Vocational Training Community Based Day opportunities
Triangle Housing Association Limited Vocational Training Community Based Day opportunities
2021-2022
Re-provision of mental health inpatient services in NHSCT
Nightingale at Whiteabbey – Enhanced Nursing and Therapies Rehabilitation and Step Down Unit (regional service).
Assistive Technology (AT) Strategy
Domiciliary Care Provided by Non-Statutory Providers
Robinson Hospital Redevelopment Business Case
NHSCT/22/1643 Community Beds Policy
2020-2021
Nightingale at Whiteabbey – Enhanced Nursing and Therapies Rehabilitation and Step Down unit (regional service).
Relocation of Randalstown Satellite Podiatry Clinic to Permanent Full time Clinics.
Relocation of Garvagh Satellite Podiatry Clinic to Permanent Full time Clinics
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
The Trust provided the following link to support its response: Rural Needs Monitoring Reports and Impact Assessments | Southern Health & Social Care Trust
Public Health Authority
2024–2025
Development of the Public Health Agency’s Corporate Plan 2025-2030
Capacity Building Training Programme – Expansion of Community Development Approaches’ Framework
Retendering of Adult Step 2 Service
Retendering of Youth Treatment Services
Workforce Development Training Service
Retendering of Problematic Parental Substance Use.
2023 – 2024
Regional Service User Network (RSUN)
2022- 2023
Re-tendering of Youth Engagement Service (YES)
Self-Harm Intervention Programme
2021–2022
Bereaved by suicide co-ordination, facilitation and development project
Early Intervention Support Service
2020–2021
Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) training in the community across Northern Ireland
Addressing Inequalities in Cancer Screening Through Promoting Informed Choice’
ENDS
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