“I am not bound by any proposals made by a previous administration.
“Good government demands that we achieve the best outcomes possible from public funds. This means that we must always look to do things in a better way. My guiding principle in any modernisation or reform process will be to improve frontline services not to reduce them.
“It has been clearly recognised that Northern Ireland is already underfunded in terms of health provision compared to Great Britain. It is important that we achieve a level playing field in this respect.
“Any plans for modernising health services must be done in a considered way and taken through the Executive and discussed with the Health Committee.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
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