The big winners in the significant package of measures announced today are people who need treatment and support for mental health and learning disability, cancer, heart disease and stroke and chronic disease.
There will be a major increase in the numbers of professional staff to take forward these service developments and considerable investment in new technologies and new drug treatments to help people live more healthy and independent lives.
Resources for new service developments over the next three years have doubled from £145million in the draft budget to £300million, and provision for associated capital development has increased by 30 per cent compared to the previous three years.
Among the key measures which will be taken forward as part of the budget agreed by the Executive today are:
- Additional community-based support for people with mental health and learning disability needs, and resettlement of 70 long stay learning disabled and 80 mental health patients – double the total proposed in the draft budget
- Introduction of HPV (Cervical Cancer) vaccination programme and catch-up programme
- Over 700 additional heart operations and procedures each year
- Introduction of bowel cancer screening from 2009 – saving 70 lives each year
- Extension of breast cancer screening from 65 to 70
- Almost £50million capital funding to help the Fire Service modernise stations and fleet
- Providing remote monitoring technology at home to support 5,000 people with chronic disease
- Reduction of waiting time from outpatients to surgery from 45 to 37 weeks.
- Setting up a four-bedded eating disorder unit
The Minister said: “The final budget allocation is a good news story for the health service. It is good news for patients, clients, carers and staff. While it will not allow me to take forward all the service improvements I would have wanted, in light of the financial circumstances facing the Executive, I believe it is the best outcome possible. I want to thank everyone who supported me in my fight for the funds needed to bring essential improvements to the Health Service in Northern Ireland.
“Mental health and learning disability services have been my first priority. The funding I have received will allow me to make real progress with the Bamford recommendations. As well as doubling the numbers of long stay mental health and learning disability patients to be resettled in the community, there will be a considerable increase in the numbers of community-based staff and in the number of respite places. This will make a real and lasting difference to patients, carers and families in an area which has too long been neglected and underfunded.
“Other key areas which will see significant improvements include cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke, children’s services, screening programme and the management of chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. There is no doubt these improvements will save many lives and transform life for many more.
“Paramount in this work is the needs of patients – I am committed to putting patients first. I believe this budget means many more people will live longer and lead more independent and active lives as a result of the developments now possible.”
Budget allocations by service area include:
Mental Health and Learning Disability
Additional allocations of almost £80m over the next three years will mean significant improvement to numbers of community-based staff, increased respite care to support carers and families. Suicide has also been a major priority and additional resources will find a 24/7 regional helpline and support programmes. Improvements include:
- Over 200 additional staff in community mental health teams
- Resettlement of around 150 long stay hospital patients (70 mental health patients and 80 learning disabled patients)
- Provision of a 24/7 suicide helpline
- No children living in a disability hospital by 2009
- Establishment of an eating disorder unit
- Improved access to psychotherapies ensuring a maximum 13 weeks wait
- Develop services for people with personality disorders by setting up teams in each of the five health and social care trusts
- Improved provision for autism
- Increased availability of respite care
- New state of the art mental health care centre at Craigavon
- A Regional Adolescent Psychiatric Unit at Forster Green
- A new Mental Health facility at Gransha
Cancer, Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke
These are three of the main causes of death in both men and women in Northern Ireland. Each condition can also result in a range of long-term health problems for patients and it is essential that services are in place to help them manage their condition and get back to good health as quickly as possible. The budget allocation will be used to fund a range of important life-saving measures, including:
- An additional 700 heart operations and procedures each year
- Treatment for 600 radiotherapy patients
- Faster access to specialised stroke services
- Improved access to renal dialysis
- Employ additional staff to ensure faster access to improved specialised services and better drug treatments.
Protection and Prevention
Ensuring we have a healthy lifestyle by not smoking and watching what we eat and drink can have a major impact on our health and reduce demand on the health service. This is everyone’s responsibility, and a range of additional programmes will be introduced to improve fitness, reduce obesity and help people stop smoking. However, this will only work if we have public support and participation.
Screening programmes
A range of screening programmes will be introduced to ensure early detection and diagnosis, improving recovery rates and, more importantly, saving lives. The budget will result in:
- Introduction of Bowel Cancer Screening with effect from 2009, saving up to 70 lives each year
- Extended age range for breast cancer screening from 65 to 70
- Introduction of HPV vaccination programme and catch-up programme – preventing up to 70% of cervical cancers and saving around 20 lives
- New antenatal screening programmes
- New screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm which will prevent 40 deaths each year.
Chronic Disease Management
A massive £46m investment over the next three years has been secured to help people recover from and take full advantage of new technologies in chronic conditions such as heart problems, diabetes and respiratory disease. Schemes involving assistive technology and telemonitoring will improve quality of life, introduce more flexibility and personalised care. Extra resources will mean:
- Up to 5,000 patients having access to remote monitoring - halving the number of unplanned admissions to hospital
- An additional 2,000 units of respite and community-based care
Public safety
Additional investment in everyday services:
- Fire and Rescue Service will also benefit from a significant £50 million investment in fire appliances, rapid response vehicles, fire stations, up-to-date IT systems and a major new training facility at Desertcreat.
- Improved ambulance response times due to £15 million capital investment in the ambulance fleet, including vehicles for first responders and the recruitment of additional crew.
Physical and Sensory Disability Services
To help improve the existing inadequate services around £10m will be made available over the three years. This will help:
- Ensure a 13-week maximum waiting time for specialist wheelchairs
- Provide an additional 200 respite packages to support carers.
Specialist drugs
- Reduce waiting times to anti-TNF treatment for severe rheumatoid arthritis (and other conditions) from 2 years to 21 weeks
- Support new treatments for cystic fibrosis.
Acute services
In order to continue the excellent progress made on reducing hospital waiting times, additional measures will be implemented to ensure they fall even further. This will be supported by providing more new modern hospitals, which will improve capacity and access, as well as improving quality and safety. Measures include:
- Reduce waiting time from first outpatient appointment to surgery from 45 to 37 weeks
- Investment in infection control to ensure that new targets to reduce MRSA by 10% and C.difficile by 20% are achieved
- Measures taken to reduce the instances of sending vulnerable ill babies to hospitals outside Northern Ireland
- Improve paediatric regional specialities, including kidney, liver, cancer and heart
- Provision of three additional ICU beds
- Enhance trauma and orthopaedic services, including reducing waiting times for fracture services
- Modernised facilities and improved capacity as a result of the new enhanced Downe Local Hospital, the first phase of the Ulster Hospital Redevelopment and the completion of an upgrade of facilities at Altnagelvin which will become operational during the next three years
- Major new Hospital projects due to start include the new £275 million acute hospital in Enniskillen, the new £190 million enhanced local hospital at Omagh and the new critical care building at the RVH
- The introduction of new Picture Archiving and Theatre Management ICT systems.
Children’s Services
Key objectives are to improve child protection arrangements, reduce the number of children in the care and to improve outcomes for those who must be in care. The budget means:
- Improved family support services to help around 2,500 families each year;
- New salaried foster carers
- Enhanced leaving care support packages
- Replacement of three children’s homes at Newtownards, Antrim and Omagh.
Notes to Editors:
Media queries to Clare Baxter, DHSSPS Press Office on 02890 520571 or mobile 07919 400248 or Jenny Magill on 02890 520575 or mobile 07833 668 748.
