This is your chance to shape, inform and influence the future of our health service

18 January 2017

NORTHERN Ireland’s most senior health official has suggested the Downe Hospital could provide an additional range of services.

During a discussion on waiting lists at last week’s meeting, Dr Michael McBride labelled the numbers as “unacceptable” and said there is a mismatch between the capacity to meet demand and the resources available to deliver it.

He said Health Minister Michelle O’Neill is very clear on the issue and a strong signal has been sent by her and the First and Deputy First Ministers that more resources are crucially important to address the problem.

Mr McBride said he believes there is a need to maximise the use of all facilities and agreed that some of Northern Ireland’s hospitals — not just those in Belfast, but others such as the Downe — have the opportunity to put through high volumes of perhaps not very complex surgery, but the surgery most people are waiting for.

“It is the less complex surgery that most people are on the waiting list for,” he continued. “Surgery that was once regarded as specialist is no longer specialist and can be carried out elsewhere. This is the sort of imaginative, innovative approaches that we need to make best use of all the services we have and to see the health service in Northern Ireland as a single resource, not a ‘them and us’ situation and where there is the capacity to best meet the needs of the population.”

In relation to concerns and scepticism about more consultation on the future of health and social services, Mr McBride described the exercise as a “genuine attempt” on the part of the Department of Health and Ms O’Neill to engage in something that is fundamentally important in determining what the future model of health care will look like. He said the criteria which have been drawn up to help map out the future direction of travel are for local people to have their say and make comment on.

“People accept you cannot have every service in your local hospital; some specialist services need to be centralised. Professor Bengoa did say specialist services can be provided anywhere, but did not say they have to be in Belfast. What you need is the critical mass of professional expertise and the technology to provide those.

“There is a commitment by the health minister to co-produce and co-design services and the issue of trust which has come up tonight has been mentioned before. People ask how can we trust you as in the past it has been felt that things have happened and decisions made which they have not been party to and which they did not agree with and who, over time, have seen services eroded and felt they have not been involved in the process or had their say.”

Dr McBride added: “This is your opportunity to fundamentally shape, inform and influence the criteria that the health minister or future health ministers are going to use. Take it at face value for the moment, but have your say and make your response. The test will be in terms of whether you can trust us or not, whether we take what you say on board or ignore it. I hope you won’t be disappointed and will be less sceptical than your experience to date.

“I know there is a lack of confidence as services have changed in the past and there hasn’t been consultation; one day you have a service and the next day you don’t. The point I would make is that sometimes that is a consequence of crises and management by crisis. There is a commitment that in the future there has to be complete and absolute openness and transparency.”

The Department of Health’s deputy permanent secretary, Mr Jackie Johnston, insisted the health minister has made it clear the consultation process is not about box ticking and she wants to see genuine engagement with communities in terms of redesigning services going forward.

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