To ask the Minister of Health to detail his Department’s position on carers employed via Direct Payments administering medication and feeding via a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube.

The Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 and the Direct Payments Scheme guidance both stipulate that Direct Payments are intended to allow service users to commission carers to provide assessed personal social services. Currently, there is no provision for healthcare interventions to be delivered by carers employed through Direct Payments.

Since the administration of medication and feeding via a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG) is a healthcare intervention, this should not be undertaken by a carer employed via Direct Payments. I am aware, however, that across the Health and Social Care sector here there are variances in the approach taken to supporting the delegation of such interventions to carers employed through Direct Payments and recognise that this situation needs to be resolved.

My Department is actively reviewing the arrangements in place across the region for the delegation of healthcare interventions, with the aim of supporting individuals to live as independently as possible. As part of that process, the Chief Nursing Officer has commissioned the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery (NIPEC) to assess the practices currently in operation and identify viable pathways that will facilitate the safe and effective delegation of healthcare interventions, in line with the governing guidelines and legislation.

The review is anticipated to be completed by Autumn 2025.