Decisions on the Northern Trust, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Northern Ireland Fire Service will be announced in the coming weeks. The Minister also said that he wished to give further consideration to Belfast Trust’s proposal to close Victoria Day Care Centre.
The Minister said: “My Department has to achieve an efficiency target of 3%, which equates to some £344million per annum by 2010/11 and £700million over three years. I have repeatedly said that is not an easy task and that this is all happening too fast. It means that a huge sum of money has to be found within the already limited funds available to health and social care services. However, these funds must be released if we are to ensure that vital life-saving and life-changing services are implemented over the next few years.
“Following careful scrutiny, I have approved these efficiency savings on the condition that the Trusts will ensure that the quality of services for their patients and clients is maintained or improved. In addition, I expect that any impact on staff is managed appropriately and sensitively and that there will be no compulsory redundancies.
“Most importantly, it is essential that the Trusts ensure that they have the right number of staff in place, at the right time to provide the right service to all those who need health and social care services. It is the duty of everyone working in the health and social care service to put patients first and to ensure everyone has access to the highest quality, responsive and safe services.”
The Minister stressed that all of the efficiency savings proposals have been approved on the condition that:
- the new models can provide sufficient, safe and appropriate places to meet demand,
- throughout transition, quality and safety will be maintained and care standards will be met,
- there will be a process of meaningful and sensitive engagement with patients, families and carers, and
- any implications for staff are handled sensitively and with full consultation.
Concluding, the Minister said: “I want to acknowledge the way in which trusts have actively sought to engage with the public and that many of the original proposals have changed to take account of public concerns.
“Many of these proposals reflect the need to change the way we deliver health and social care services in order to meet the growing demand and expectations of the public.
“For example, the changes to services proposed for Mullinure Hospital in Armagh will mean that the facility is transformed into a specialist centre for older people including a centre of excellence for patients with dementia. This is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and will ensure that older people in the area will have access to the best quality care.
“It is right that we ensure older people are able to maintain their independence at home for as long as it is safe to do so. It is also right that we reduce our reliance on hospitals and deliver more services to people in their own homes and in their communities. Our health service is changing for the better and is well on its way to becoming the world-class health service that the people of Northern Ireland expect and deserve.
“I recognise that there is a great deal of work to do in terms of planning for and delivery of these efficiencies to ensure targets are achieved. This work should be taken forward as a matter of urgency and I will expect regular updates on progress.”
Notes to Editors:
Details of all four trusts efficiency savings proposals can be access via the following links:
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
South-Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
Western Health and Social Care Trust
Consultation Findings and Recommendations for CSR 2009-11 Report
Consultation Findings and Recommendations for CSR 2009-11 Appendices
- Decisions on proposals for residential homes for Older People have already been approved.
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