To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for his assessment of Antrim Area Hospital’s ability to cope with a major incident following the major incident drill of 23 March 2014.

Antrim Area Hospital, like all public service organisations, is required to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland receive a level of protection and emergency response which is consistent with that elsewhere in the UK and which meets their needs and expectations.

Accordingly, my Department sets standards of assurance to ensure that emergency preparedness or ‘Major Incident’ plans are not simply in place; but must be part of an annual programme for testing, exercising and validation. This is an important part of emergency preparedness as it permits aspects of the plans to be tested in safe conditions and for review and updating of plans in the light of any learning from the experience.

The recent exercise, to which you refer, is an admirable demonstration of the Trust testing its ability to cope with a major incident – particularly with a scenario that is clearly outside of its normal experience. In doing so, the Trust is following best practice in emergency preparedness.