Poots Assures Public Over Health Service Transformations

Health Minister Edwin Poots has announced he will be implementing measures to assure the public as to the transformation of health services in Northern Ireland.

The Minister made the announcement in front of over 250 delegates at the annual Chief Nursing Officer conference in the Titanic Suite, Belfast.

He said: "As part of my reassurance to you, the nursing and midwifery professions and to the public I have put in place a programme of work to be led by the Public Health Agency to develop a process which will support commissioners and providers to deliver assurance to the public in relation to nursing and midwifery workforce planning."

Mr Poots was focussing on the proposed changes set out in Transforming Your Care: From Vision to Action, which is currently out for consultation.

"Part of the conversation around transforming services is having the right numbers of people in the right place with the right skills," the Minister said.

"This is essential if we are to reassure the public that the transformation of our services is about delivering better services and not about delivering cheaper services."

"There are efficiencies to be made, make no mistake about that and I will continue to push to reduce bureaucracy in our system for the benefit of us all."

Mr Poots said nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants were "the backbone of our health service".

"Without you, we could not function, we could not lead, and we could not meet the needs of our patients and clients. We need to build on the success and the innovation you are presented with here today and we need to act now if we are to achieve our goals. As we move forward through this significant period of change, it will be important that we can stand over the decisions we make over the next two to three years."

(IT)