The proposals are part of a comprehensive package of important reforms announced by the Minister on 4 February 08. The full set of proposals have been issued today for a 12 week public consultation.
The key element of the Minister’s public health proposals are:
- Public health at the centre of policy and strategy at Ministerial/Departmental level and across Government through the Ministerial Group on Public Health.
- Better co-ordination and delivery of public health services on the ground through a new multi-professional Regional Public Health Agency.
- A stronger role for local government in shaping health improvement programmes and in tackling the underlying causes of ill health.
- Robust arrangements to provide public health support to the Regional Health and Social Care Board and its LCGs in developing their commissioning plans.
- A continued role for Health and Social Care Trusts in developing and delivering health improvement and health protection programmes to meet key priorities.
Announcing his proposals, Michael McGimpsey said: “This is a period of dramatic and exciting change for heath and social care in Northern Ireland. Change that is needed if we are to adapt to the changing needs of the population.
“In this year, the 60th Anniversary of the NHS, we have already seen immense change. We have witnessed incredible advances in medicine that have enabled life expectancy to increase dramatically and infant mortality to be halved. 60 years on however, Northern Ireland still faces many challenges.
“Health inequalities are still rife. It is a fact that people who live in deprived areas, in poor housing, who are unemployed and have lower educational attainment, are more likely to suffer ill health and sadly, an earlier death. We also have increasing rates of suicide, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, high levels of obesity, smoking related deaths and binge drinking."
The Minister continued: “It is against that backdrop that I believe that the pursuit of a public health agenda and addressing our stark health inequalities must be at the heart of a 21st Century health and social care system."
The new multi-professional Regional Public Health Agency (RPHA) will drive the public health agenda, bringing together a wide range of existing public health functions to provide a renewed and sustained focus on achieving key public health goals.
The Agency will focus on the key functions of health improvement, health protection and providing public health support to commissioning and policy development.
The Minister continued: “Public health is what we do as a society to improve and protect the health of the population. It is about helping people to take responsibility for their own health, preventing disease and educating the population on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. It is also too important to be left solely to the health service. All Government Departments and indeed, all of society have a role to play.
“My proposals would therefore enable the new Regional Public Health Agency to drive the health improvement agenda by building on the work of existing partnerships between health and other sectors to achieve demonstrable improvements in key public health measures such as mental health and obesity.
“The Agency would also work closely with local government, who already work with local communities, to develop and shape services to achieve a better quality of life for local people. I want to strengthen, renew and reinvigorate their role. To facilitate this, elected representatives would be appointed to the Board of the Agency.”
To fulfil its health improvement functions the Regional Public Health Agency would incorporate the functions of the Health Promotion Agency and the health and wellbeing improvement functions of the Trusts and existing Boards. RPHA staff will be based both regionally and locally.
The Minister also outlined the health protection role of the new Regional Public Health Agency: “The Agency would also include a Health Protection Unit whose key role would be the prevention and control of infections and emergency planning, improving our capacity to react quickly. The recent outbreak of C difficile here and the resulting concern and anxiety it raised among the general public, reinforce the importance of being able to respond quickly and effectively.”
The Health Protection Unit would include the existing health protection functions of the existing Health and Social Services Boards, the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) and the Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance Centre (HISC).
The Regional Public Health Agency would also be central to providing public health support to the new Regional HSC Board and its LCGs as they develop their commissioning plans, as well as providing expert public health advice to Department, Board and Trusts.
The Minister continued: “The integration of the Agency’s multi-professional public health expertise, into the work of the Board, will ensure that commissioning drives change, transforms services and truly improves the health of the population. The Agency will be an important new centre of public health expertise, and will create a focused, co-ordinated drive for sustained improvement in public health."
The Minister concluded: “Today I have outlined my proposals for the future of public health. This is one of a number of important proposals I have announced for health and social care that I have issued for public consultation today. I would encourage all interested parties to make their views known.
“We need to have the courage to seize this opportunity to change our system. To dare to change. To be radical and ambitious in our goals and to lay the foundations for a more healthy, more productive, more confident Northern Ireland.”
Notes to Editors:
1. The full list of proposals announced by the Minister are:-
- A new Regional Health and Social Care Board that will focus on financial management, performance management and commissioning.
- A new multi-professional Regional Public Health Agency to create better inter-sectoral working to tackle health promotion and inequalities and help realise the shared goal of a better and healthier future for all.
- The establishment of five Local Commissioning Groups to cover the same geographical area of the five Health and Social Care Trusts.
- A smaller, more sharply focussed Department.
- A common services organisation that will provide a range of support function for the health and social care service.
- Reinforcing and strengthening the role of Health and Social Services Councils.
- Increased democratisation through local government representation on key bodies and improved partnership working.
2. A full copy of the consultation document is available on the Departments website
Copies can also be obtained by contacting:-
Business Support Unit
Modernisation Directorate
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Room 1, Annexe 6
Castle Buildings
Stormont
BELFAST
BT4 3SQ
Telephone: 028 9052 0656
Facsimile: 028 9052 3482
Email: hscreforms@dhsspsni.gov.uk
3. Press enquiries to Jenny Magill at the DHSSPS at 028 90520575 or mobile 078336 68748. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
