ROBIN SWANN: new framework to sort out NI's crisis-hit health service
Robin Swann said today (Thursday) a new plan to tackle Northern Ireland's "appalling" hospital waiting lists, was being finalised.
The Health Minister said there was a need for "a sustained period of concrete action".
"I can confirm that the new NI elective care framework is being finalised for publication. It will set out both the immediate and longer term actions needed to tackle our waiting lists," he said.
"I will be making a specific ask of the Executive to commit recurrent targeted funding for waiting times over a number of years – sustained investment over and above day-to-day health spending."
Recently, in an Exclusive interview with Downtown Radio & Cool FM, Mr Swann said that it was not a simple case of "throwing money" at the service.
And in a statement today he said a new way forward would be challenging.
"I know all NI departments are under growing financial pressure," he said.
"Prioritising waiting times will involve some difficult choices elsewhere. I accept that but I also believe that we have no choice. We cannot tolerate thousands of our citizens being stranded on ever growing waiting lists.
"This is not just about funding, of course. We have to reshape services to improve our health service’s capacity and ensure this backlog never occurs again."
The Minister added that "we also owe it to the health and care professionals who have been making enormous efforts to minimise the impact of the pandemic on patients."
"Many of them are exhausted. We need to show staff and patients that we are serious about tackling these issues," he said.
"I have heard calls for waiting lists to be addressed in the same way we tackled COVID-19. I understand that view. Indeed, the innovation, determination and togetherness that we have seen during the pandemic will all be essential.
"However, it should also be remembered that we tackled Covid with unprecedented levels of emergency funding at our disposal. We do not have that for waiting times.
"The NHS was built on the principle of being free and available at the point of need. Our waiting lists are undermining that principle."