There is a great deal of concern from parents, teachers, principals and elected members of the Northern Ireland Assembly about the current private system of transfer tests and particularly during this pandemic year.

During the last peak of Covid-19 when students were heavily depended upon to help alleviate pressure on qualified nurses, the Department of Health recognised their efforts financially. No such payment is available this time, which has left students feeling massively undervalued. They have also been told not to speak to the media. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus/ni-student-nurses-risking-lives-without-pay-in-coronavirus-battle-39708516.html

Northern Ireland's waiting lists are the worst in the UK - with almost one in four of the population waiting for admission or a first outpatient appointment. And no matter who we are or where we come from, getting medical attention when we need it most is vital to us all. The waiting list crisis has been years in the making, and it won’t be solved overnight. But a Department of Health plan has been published, and solutions from organisations like the Nuffield Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons are being put forward. Now we need political will to make it happen.

Northern Ireland's waiting lists are the worst in the UK - with almost one in four of the population waiting for admission or a first outpatient appointment. And no matter who we are or where we come from, getting medical attention when we need it most is vital to us all. The waiting list crisis has been years in the making, and it won’t be solved overnight. But a Department of Health plan has been published, and solutions from organisations like the Nuffield Trust and the Royal College of Surgeons are being put forward. Now we need political will to make it happen.

Covid-19 shows us all who the real key workers are in our society. As they continue to work to treat the sick, support the vulnerable and keep the country going, they must be provided with the equipment tha will keep them safe and stop the virus spreading.

The Coronavirus is beyond politics. Now is the time for all who live on this island, to stand together to face this common threat. An emergency plan must be put in place to protect us all, and prioritising those most at risk such as care home residents, asylum seekers, older people, and the homeless.

"If these deaths had happened in a children's home I think there would have been an investigation a long time ago, but because it's the elderly it just seems to be pushed to the side" Hundreds of care home residents died across Northern Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic. Each of them was valuable, and are grieved by their loved ones. The Department for Health's report in 2020 did not accept there was a link between these deaths and the discharge of patients from hospitals without Covid testing.