Healthy Outlook For Care In NI

There was good news on two fronts today as statistics have shown a good performance by family doctors, while in politics, there was a claim that NI's health budget could be 'ring-fenced' from impending cutbacks - if there is a local commitment.

The Stormont Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey has praised General Practitioners (GPs) for providing high quality health care services.

The Minister (pictured) was speaking as the latest Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) achievement figures for GP practices in Northern Ireland were published.

The new figures show sustained high achievement for the provision of quality care to patients and directly reflect his determination to drive forward improvements in patient health care.

The Minister said: "It is good news that patients in Northern Ireland have again, this year, benefited enormously from their GP practices continuing to deliver high quality services, through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

"GP practices and their staff are to be congratulated for their commitment to the provision of high quality care for their patients," he said.

"Participation in QOF is voluntary on the part of practices. Patients have benefited directly from this investment in primary care and they can look forward to continued improvements in their quality of life."

Meanwhile, at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) representatives have met with Secretary of State Owen Paterson and discussed the financial prospects facing Northern Ireland following the October 20 budget.

UUP Leader Tom Elliott said: "While there is no doubt that difficult times lie ahead for Northern Ireland, and indeed the whole of the United Kingdom, it has been clearly indicated to me that the health budget will be protected in England and Wales by the coalition government," he said.

"However, the responsibility of matching that commitment to health rests with the Northern Ireland Executive.

"If they decide to direct monies away from health, it is the people of Northern Ireland who will suffer the consequences," he said.

"It has long been an Ulster Unionist Party demand that the health budget should have protection."

Also this week, the Department of Health published its annual report, the Strategic Resources Framework, highlighting where expenditure for 2009/10 was intended to go in the future.

The report highlighted how £3.7bn of the £4.4bn revenue budget is to be spent and also showed that acute services account for £1.2bn of the total planned expenditure by commissioners - an increase of £52m on funds last year.

This, together with funds to be spent on elderly care, accounts for half the total financial resources covered in the report.

(BMcC/KMcA)