Member

Social care and hospices are also feeling the strain of the policy. Both sectors are crucial in alleviating pressure on public services and supporting the NHS, yet they operate on razor-thin margins. Social care providers, who deliver 98% of home care services in Northern Ireland, face similar challenges. Rising costs will force many to freeze wages and reduce hiring. At the start of this year in Northern Ireland, some of our hospices were under real pressure. Everyone across the political spectrum rallied to try to prevent the problems, but this is beyond our control. It is not something that working together, cross-party, at the Executive table in Northern Ireland can fix. We need a response today from central Government.