The NHS is rightly regarded as one of the UK’s crowning achievements and a first class health service must always remain one of the central priorities of government in Northern Ireland.
NI Conservatives wish to see an efficient, patient-focussed NHS, which delivers real improvements to health and remains free at the point of use we see 6 areas for reform.
1 Donaldson Report should be accepted in full by the Executive, including the first recommendation that the Executive accepts recommendations of an international panel of experts to assess which hospitals should deliver the highest quality, and safest, acute care that 21st Century medicine can offer. The NHS should not be used as a political football.
2 Services in Northern Ireland should be regionalised under a single umbrella Trust, rather than the six that currently exist, services should be regionalised and centres of excellence for different specialities located at different hospitals throughout the province.
3 More care should be delivered away from hospitals, nearer to people’s homes in local specialist care and treatment units and in GP surgeries. The much heralded ‘Transforming Your Care’ initiative consists of fine words but now needs to become reality.
4 We must ensure that charities and other groups are on a level playing field when offering to supply their expertise to the health and social care sector through reform of the commissioning process.
5 Empowering community pharmacists to deliver care to patients within the community.
6 Funding currently being provided through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme to speed access to medicines should not be used to plug other gaps in the department’s budget as is currently the case. We support a specialist medicines fund.
Action must be taken to bring waiting lists in line with what has been achieved in England. Savings from reforms above will help release the necessary extra funds.
This is not radical thinking - it makes commercial and practical sense and requires leadership and courage from the Executive.
We need to see the parties working together to ensure an NHS in Northern Ireland that is fit for purpose.