Northern Ireland Conservatives’ spokesperson, Dr Steven Kinnear, has welcomed the publication of the Compton Review into health and social care in Northern Ireland. Steven called it “a comprehensive and well researched document” which offers “a template for transforming care in Northern Ireland.”
“The review places an emphasis on the quality of services provided to individuals, rather than concentrating on institutions,” Steven continued. “It prioritises the empowerment of patients and clients who receive care. And it also looks to the future, by concentrating on the sustainability of services, in the face of financial constraints and an aging population.”
“All these principles are sound and, if the report provides the basis for reform, it can help transform the way our services are delivered for the better. Unfortunately, though, when the need for change has previously been highlighted, former health ministers at Stormont have chosen to ignore it.”
“This opportunity mustn’t be squandered and it mustn’t provide an excuse for political grandstanding. This isn’t a time for populism. It’s time to have a grown up debate about the best and most efficient means of providing care, long into the future, free at the point of use, for the people of Northern Ireland.”
“The Compton Review offers an excellent starting point for that debate and provides an important template for reform. The Review Team has done a great job and now it’s time for the executive to step up and deliver world class, patient centred, sustainable care for Northern Ireland.”