A permanent strangford lough crossing & PHA Corporate Plan 2025-2030
PHA Corporate Plan Consultation Team
Public Health Agency
4th Floor South
12-22 Linenhall Street
Belfast BT2 8BS
Date: 25 February 2025
Subject: Submission regarding Fixed Strangford Lough Crossing – Relevance to PHA Corporate Plan 2025-2030
Dear PHA Corporate Plan Consultation Team,
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Draft PHA Corporate Plan 2025-2030 consultation. This submission focuses on how a fixed crossing at Strangford Lough would support the strategic objectives outlined in your draft plan, particularly regarding reducing health inequalities and improving access to healthcare services.
1. Alignment with PHA Strategic Themes
The proposed fixed crossing directly supports multiple strategic themes identified in your Corporate Plan:
Protecting Health
The draft Corporate Plan states that a key priority is to “develop emergency response plans to support readiness to respond to incidents that may have an impact on public health” (p.22). The current ferry service operates limited hours (07:30-23:00 on weekdays), creating an overnight gap in emergency access. A fixed crossing would provide 24/7 emergency access, significantly enhancing emergency response capabilities.
Living Well
Your draft plan commits to “supporting those living with long-term conditions to live well with disease” (p.28). Residents of the Ards Peninsula with chronic conditions currently face access barriers to specialist care, particularly for after-hours care needs. A fixed crossing would remove these barriers, supporting your stated priority of “providing targeted information and support to help everyone, including those who experience multiple barriers to health, to adopt healthy behaviours, avail of preventative services and access high-quality care” (p.28).
Ageing Well
Your plan highlights priorities to “reduce and prevent falls and home accidents” and “work with key partners to identify and reduce levels of loneliness and social isolation” (p.30). The demographic profile of the Ards Peninsula shows a higher than average ageing population (NISRA Census Data 2021). A fixed crossing would enable more efficient delivery of home care services, reduce isolation, and improve access to specialist geriatric services, directly supporting this strategic theme.
2. Rural Health Inequalities
Your draft Rural Needs Impact Assessment acknowledges that health inequalities impact rural communities differently. Within your plan’s commitments, you state:
“In working to achieve the priorities set out in this plan, we commit to tackling and reducing health inequalities being at the heart of everything we do” (p.21).
Current evidence demonstrates clear health inequalities affecting the Ards Peninsula residents:
- Emergency healthcare access is significantly compromised during non-ferry operating hours
- Healthcare staff recruitment and retention is hampered by travel constraints
- Healthcare integration between facilities across the lough is limited by unreliable connectivity
A fixed crossing would directly address these rural health inequalities, supporting your commitment to “improving equity of access to prevention and early intervention information, services and interventions etc for those who need them” (p.21).
3. Supporting Public Health Data and Analysis
The ferry service presents a significant barrier to health data collection and public health intervention planning:
- Community health needs assessments are complicated by artificial population division
- Effective deployment of public health resources is hampered by reduced accessibility
- Health screening program participation rates are affected by transport limitations
A fixed crossing would enable more comprehensive data collection and analysis, supporting your priority to “ensure planning, guidance and decisions are based on best available evidence and driven by data, research and experience” (p.21).
4. Partnership Working
Your draft plan emphasizes the importance of partnership working, stating:
“We will continue to engage and collaborate with partners with public health expertise locally, regionally, nationally and internationally to maximise our combined resources to improve health and wellbeing” (p.36).
A fixed crossing would enhance the PHA’s ability to coordinate with multiple partners across the region by:
- Facilitating faster, more reliable access for public health professionals
- Enabling more efficient coordination between healthcare facilities
- Supporting community-based health initiatives through improved connectivity
5. Health Economic Case
The current ferry operation costs approximately £3.52 million annually (Department for Infrastructure, Freedom of Information response DFI/2024-0366). These recurring costs could be redirected toward direct healthcare provision. While a fixed crossing would require significant capital investment, it would yield substantial health economic benefits through:
- Reduced emergency response times and associated improved outcomes
- More efficient deployment of healthcare resources
- Enhanced preventative care access, potentially reducing acute care needs
- Improved staff recruitment and retention
6. Specific Recommendation
I recommend that the PHA Corporate Plan 2025-2030 explicitly acknowledges infrastructure barriers to healthcare access in rural areas, including the Strangford Lough crossing, and commits to:
- Advocate for infrastructure improvements that would enhance healthcare access and reduce health inequalities
- Conduct a comprehensive health impact assessment of the current ferry service versus a fixed crossing
- Include connectivity metrics in future health inequality monitoring related to the Ards Peninsula
- Recognize the potential health benefits of cross-lough infrastructure in strategic planning
Conclusion
The Draft PHA Corporate Plan 2025-2030 presents an impressive vision for improving public health across Northern Ireland. Incorporating explicit consideration of how major infrastructure investments like a fixed Strangford Lough crossing could support public health goals would strengthen the plan’s approach to tackling rural health inequalities.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this submission further and provide additional information if required.
Yours sincerely,
Kevin Barry BSc (Hons) MRICS
Email: mail@kevinbarryqs.com