Emergency Healthcare Hearings Continue in Omagh & Belfast

7 October 2014

The Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into Emergency Healthcare continues this week with public hearings in Omagh on Tuesday 7 October and Belfast on Wednesday 8 October.

NIHRC Chief Commissioner, Les Allamby, said:

“This Inquiry is about hearing from the people who use and work in our Emergency Healthcare system. This week we will hear from the Western Trust and Mental Health groups. We also look forward to listening to the contributions of patients, family members and healthcare staff. Now coming close to the end of our 12 public hearings, the Commission has been encouraged and grateful to all those who have taken the time to give evidence to the Inquiry so far.”

The Belfast HSCT, the South East HSCT, the Western HSCT, Bryson Charitable Trust and Disability Action will also be providing evidence to the Inquiry this week.

The Commission will publish its final report and recommendations to the Northern Ireland Executive in April 2015.

ENDS

Further information:

For further information please contact Claire Martin on: claire.martin@nihrc.org or 0771 7731873 (mobile).

Notes to editors

1. The Omagh Public Hearing will take place on Tuesday 7 October at the Strule Arts Centre from 12.30pm-6pm.

The Belfast Public Hearing will take place on Wednesday 8 October at the MAC from 10.45am- 4pm.

Everyone is welcome to come along and observe.

2. The hearings involve taking evidence followed by questions from the panel. Contributions are not sought from the audience. The Commission opened an inquiry line and sought evidence from the public over the Summer this year.

3. The Inquiry Panel includes Commissioner Marion Reynolds, assisted by Professor Paul Hunt, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health.

4. Further information, including dates and locations of all the public hearings can be found at: http://www.nihrc.org/inquiry

5. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent statutory body first proposed in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998) and established in 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act (1998). It is answerable to Parliament at Westminster.