NHS at 70: Chief Medical officer status quo 'not an option'
Dr Michael McBride tells DT Cool FM urgent reform is needed
The chief medical officer for Northern Ireland has said urgent reform of our healthcare system is critical.
Dr Michael McBride was speaking to DT Cool FM as the NHS celebrates its 70th anniversary.
In 2016, Professor Bengoa outlined a ten year plan to transform the way healthcare is delivered here.
With long waiting lists, ED pressures, staff shortages and recent patient recalls, the department has been under mounting scrutiny.
But Dr McBride insists the necessary changes can be made to change healthcare for the better by the 2016 target:
"There isn't an alternative, there is no other option.
"The status quo is not an option, if we say everything remains as is, then we are resigning the population of Northern Ireland to care that is far from optimal, we're resigning the population of Northern Ireland to an experience of care that is sub optimal.
"As Chief Medical Officer, that is something that I am not prepared to countenance."
The proposals included in the 'Delivering Together' report outlined a ten year plan to shake up the health service and ensure it is fit for purpose to address modern challenges.
Dr McBride said one of the biggest challenges is caring for an ageing population:
"Older people in society is something to be celebrated but as we get older, we all live with more long-term conditions and we need to redesign and reshape the health and social care system around one that's moving increasingly away from dealing with life threatening conditions into one that's focusing on preventing the underlying causes of ill health."
But despite the challenges, Dr McBride told us there is a lot to be proud of since the NHS was formed in 1948:
"I'm very proud of what the health service does.
"How it's enriched the life of the population, how much it's contributed to society.
"What's it achieved? If we look back to 1948, we've added 13.7 years in life to each man in Northern Ireland, 14.1 years to every woman."
And he urged the public to help the health service by ensuring they look after themselves:
"As I look forward to the health service of the future, it has to be more concentration on getting upstream, targeting those interventions at population level that are going to keep us healthier for longer and prevent some of those long-term conditions."