The Department of Health’s Equality Impact Assessment document provides an Equality Impact Assessment of the 2025-26 Budget outcome for its Department. The Department also published a Rural Needs Impact Assessment on the budget.
NICVAs response was informed by an engagement session hosted for sector representatives to capture views on the draft Budget EQIA consultation from the perspective of voluntary and community sector organisations.
Representatives in attendance included those working in the areas of cancer care and support, disability, SEN, children and young people’s services, adoption and fostering, support for those with neurological conditions, community health, health promotion and mental health.
The level of concern articulated by the sector representatives in attendance as to the bleak realities of the budget situation for their organisations and those they serve via the session cannot be overstressed. There was strong consensus that the pressures on the health and social care system and sector organisations as a result have never been more acute and the issues faced never more challenging.
There was significant frustration at the apparent lack of progress to commit to or implement key pieces of strategy and transformation by the Department, due to lack of budget, which based on organisations experience was only serving to compound levels of need, increasing pressures and ultimately the long-term cost to health and social care systems and those affected.
Representatives pressed that urgent transformation of our health and social care services is essential with a need to change how health and social care is organised, funded, and delivered.
Our response also reflects the insights, knowledge and perspectives gathered via our day-to-day work in supporting and representing the sector across Northern Ireland more broadly.
Via our response we sought to outline the extremely challenging operating environment for sector organisations currently, as essential partners in health and social care delivery across Northern Ireland, at all stages of people’s lives from pre-birth through to our older population and end of life care.
We stressed that the draft Budget EQIA paints a worrying picture of reduced provision coupled with a continued lack of investment for our sector and those it supports and advocates for.
Whilst acknowledging how extremely challenging the budget position for 2025-26 is for the Department and the scale of the funding gap facing all NI Departments. NICVA expressed deep concern as to the significant adverse impact the draft budget proposals outlined via the EQIA, will have if implemented on the work of a broad range of VCS organisations and most vitally on the needs and interests of those individuals and communities they serve, of whom some of the most vulnerable stand to be significantly impacted.
We pressed that funding for health and social care delivery urgently needs to be put on a more sustainable footing with adequate, multiyear budgets to allow the implementation of the transformation agenda.
We stressed that the community and voluntary sector routinely feels the impact of budget cuts and pressures more disproportionately, than other sectors as evidenced via recent cuts to the Core Grant Scheme and highlighted the unstainable pressures placed on organisations due to late or last minute decision making on budgets etc. As such we urged that the Department reviews its proposals for the allocation of any additional funding from monitoring rounds and prioritises those most acutely in need.
We pressed that whilst not expecting to be immune from cuts or budget pressures, our sector must be treated fairly and of the need for long term strategic investment and support reflective of the pivotal role our sector serves in health and social delivery and policy development more broadly.
We stressed the importance of health and social care transformation and the important role of our sector regarding.
We urged the importance of early engagement, consultation, and collaboration by the Department with the sector with regard to ongoing budgetary decisions, wherever possible.
