Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has said the Tory government needs to immediately reverse its decade-long policy of cuts to the health service and invest in health and social care.

The party’s health spokesperson also called for the DUP to get back around the Executive table urgently to work with others to provide the political leadership health workers are looking for.

Colm Gildernew said:

“The health and social care system is breaking under the weight of more than a decade of Tory cuts to health and social care.

“The current Tory government are acting like spectators to the collapse of health services in the north and in Britain. That is cruel, uncaring and unacceptable.

“We need substantial investment into health and social care to pay workers a fair wage, to transform the system and bring to an end the cycle of services and health workers being overwhelmed.

“Those working in health and social care are also crying out for political leadership. They want local ministers back around the Executive table working for the patients and the people they care for.

“They want an Executive to invest an extra £1 billion in the health service, to hire more doctors and nurses and to get on with tackling chronic waiting lists and transformation of the health service.

“Sinn Féin is ready to form an Executive. It is long past time DUP ended their utterly reckless boycott of the Executive and join with the rest of us who want to make politics work.”