Health Minister must outline a detailed plan - Dodds

Mrs Dodds, DUP Health Spokesperson, said:

“Our health service is the most precious of our public services. There is a responsibility on all of us to work together to make the Northern Ireland NHS a success.

The need for reform of healthcare in Northern Ireland is well established. We must see change to ensure services meet the ever-evolving needs of the population and that our community receives the best possible care, achieving the best health outcomes for all.

Today’s publication of the draft framework for the reconfiguration of hospital services is a step along the pathway to reforming health services across Northern Ireland. We will, of course, take time to study the document in detail, but my early impression is that it is somewhat underwhelming. Eight years on from the Bengoa Report, why is the focus still on principles? Surely we have had all the frameworks we need?

Frontline healthcare staff and the wider public will rightly be asking for much more from the Minister. What we need is detail and action. Regrettably, the Minister has made it clear that this is for another day.

More of the same from the Minister and Department will not transform our health service, nor will simply providing more money to the Department. With Professor Bengoa returning to Northern Ireland next week, it provides an opportunity for much-needed impetus on that pathway to much-needed reform. We need more detail and more action soon.”