Plans to reshape hospital care announced by Health Minister
The proposals are due to be published in the autumn
Last updated 16th Jun 2022
New plans to develop and map out Northern Ireland’s hospital services has been announced by the Health Minister.
Robin Swann said the proposals, which will be published in the autumn, will “help move health transformation to a new phase”.
NI currently has the longest hospital waiting lists in the UK and experts have warned that the current structures are not sustainable.
The Stormont Executive has previously backed reform plans that include a restructuring of the hospital network, with a focus on creating hubs to deliver key specialisms.
The proposal will be taken forward with advice and input from a new Health and Social Care Improvement and Transformation Advisory Board which is being established for the next stage of rebuilding and transforming services.
The Board will be made up of clinicians and system leaders, to ensure that reconfiguration is co-designed.
Today (Thursday) Minister Swann stressed that the proposed reform “does not mean closing or downgrading a single hospital.”
He said “We will continue to need every square inch of the current estate. But the role of some hospitals will change.”
Mr Swann was speaking after hosting a meeting with a cross-party group of MLAs.
This will be the first in a series of detailed engagements with Assembly colleagues.
The discussions addressed the challenges facing the health service, the actions currently being taken and what is needed for the future.
He added: “This will mean changing how we do some things. And yes, that will include reorganising how some services are provided, to create more centres of excellence able to deliver the quality and scale of services people need.
“The design plan will build on clinically led service reviews, public consultations and the strategies already in place – our building blocks for the future.
“Debates about reforming our health service have often amounted to little more than talk. It is a story we know only too well. This is an opportunity to reset that debate, to move it on and to concentrate minds. It’s time to change the script.
“I also believe that our health service staff, who have given so much during the pandemic, and our citizens who have suffered so much, need to know that there is a solution that things will get better, and we have a plan and a vision to get there.
“Of course, this will take time, it will take funding, it will take prioritisation, but we need to have that final design plan we can all work to.”
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