Initial update on health service response after Cookstown incident

A meeting to coordinate all respective agency plans to support those affected by the major incident at the Greenvale Hotel was hosted by Mid Ulster Council on Tuesday 19 March 2019.

At the meeting were representatives from the Council, the PSNI, the Education Authority’s Critical Incident Team, three health and social care Trusts, the Health and Social Care Board, the Public Health Agency, the Northern and the Southern Regional Colleges, the Catholic Council for Maintained Schools, Cookstown and Western Shores Area Network and the GAA.

A multi-agency response has been put in place to coordinate all of the appropriate actions.

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust are jointly leading the health service response to the tragic events in Cookstown. This will include a programme of advice and support to optimise recovery for all those involved. It is vitally important that the support is provided at the right time, in an appropriate way, and is available over the coming days, weeks and months.

Since yesterday morning (19 March) we have been providing senior professional support, including clinical psychologists and experienced crisis response workers, at the PSNI centre at Burnavon in Cookstown. That support will continue over the coming days.

We will continue to work very closely with colleagues in the PSNI, other statutory agencies including the Western Health and Social Care Trust and community and voluntary groups in supporting the community network and Mid Ulster District Council.