The main driver behind Transforming Your Care (TYC) is to reform health and social care services to deliver the right care, at the right time and in the right place.
That was the key message from Health Minister Edwin Poots as he updated the Assembly on progress in implementing TYC.
Speaking during an oral statement in the chamber today, Mr Poots said: “The recent pressures on our Emergency Departments (ED) make me even more determined to ensure our services are able to meet the demands placed on them.
“Recent research indicates that around 18% of people attending an ED don’t need to be there. Many attend because alternative services are not available, or because they were not aware of them. It is only by reshaping our model of care to provide alternative services, earlier intervention and better patient self management, that we will be able to divert that group of people to more appropriate services.
“This is a three-to-five-year journey with the emphasis on getting it right, in a safe manner. We are making significant progress in transforming health and social care services to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”
In a wide-ranging speech, the Minister outlined many of the measures that were being put in place across health and social care, including:
* Five primary care hubs which bring together a range of diagnostic and treatment services
* The provision of the first 24/7 Regional Cardiac Catheterisation Services to ensure heart attack patients bypass emergency departments and go straight to a catheterisation lab for appropriate treatment
* The shifting of resources within mental health services towards more community-based provision
* Plans to launch a new pharmacy strategy
* Setting up 17 family support hubs in four Trusts with five more set to be in place this month.
The Minister also brought Assembly members up to date on capital investments which have underpinned reform including:
* £73.5million North Wing building at Altnagelvin to be completed in 2016;
* £97million Omagh Local Hospital which will offer a range of integrated services;
* £150million critical care building at the Royal which will begin operation early next year; and;
*The Royal’s new £46million maternity building which is due for completion in 2017.
Mr Poots also touched on the progress in areas such as prevention and palliative care, and emphasised that communication, innovation and technology were all central to the transformation process. He cited examples such as how Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record is enabling healthcare professionals to access a single secure overview of key information about their patients; telemonitoring of patients at home; the use of teleconferencing to provide virtual clinics; and the potential development of a mobile applications
The Minister’s statement in full can be viewed at:
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