The future of the Downe Hospital and local health services in Down District could be slowly unfolding. It is therefore important that everyone understands what this consultation is about as Health Minister Michelle O’Neill seems set on establishing a set of standards to re-build the ailing health service.
In January 2017 there will be a series of meetings across the North on the consultation on criteria for reconfiguring HSC Services.
A further date has been added to the series of public meetings on the proposed criteria to be used to reconfigure, change and improve our health service.
On 11 November 2016, the Minister launched a consultation on the criteria which will run until Friday 20 January 2017.
Four meetings have already taken place with a further eleven scheduled for January in Cookstown, Lisburn, north Belfast, central Belfast, Coleraine, Downpatrick, Newry, Enniskillen, Ballymena and North Down & Ards. Following a very successful engagement in Ballycastle another meeting is planned there in January due to public demand.
Speaking about the events, Minister O’Neill said: “I am delighted with the public response to the consultation meetings to date. They allow the public to engage face to face with senior professional medical, nursing and policy staff from my Department and the views expressed will be reported back to me.
“This is an important aspect of co-designing transformation with those who use and deliver health and social care services, which I am committed to. I can assure everyone concerned that these views will be given my full consideration in reaching a decision on what criteria to adopt, which will inform the future of our health and social care system.”
The Minister added: “We need to get the criteria right at the start of the process, if we are to have a clear and understandable framework for assessing how services are configured in the future.
“As I have said before, we want to ensure that patients receive the best care available, the first time every time, even if that means travelling further for better treatment with better health outcomes for the patient, with quicker recovery times and less need for follow up care.”
The public meetings in January 2017 are being held at:
Cookstown, Glenavon Hotel 04 January 2017, 7.pm – 9pm
Lisburn, Trinity Community 05 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
North Belfast, Duncairn Centre 09 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Central Belfast, Belfast Central Mission 10 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Ballycastle, Sheskburn Recreation Centre, 11 January, 3pm-5pm
Coleraine, The Sandel Centre 11 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Downpatrick, The Cricket Club 12 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Newry, Newry Conferencing & Banquet Centre 16 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Enniskillen, Killyhevlin Hotel 17 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
Ballymena, Adair Arms 18 January 2017, 7pm – 9pm
North Down & Ards, Somme Centre, 19 January 2017, 7pm – 9 pm.
The criteria set out in the consultation document are:
* There is evidence that the outcomes for patients using these services are below acceptable levels either in the services as a whole or in particular hospitals, or where there are safety concerns.
* There is a clear clinical pathway for the patient population co-created with patient groups.
The service cannot meet professional standards or minimum volumes of activity needed to maintain expertise.
* The permanent workforce required to safely and sustainably deliver the service is not available/cannot be recruited or retained, or can only be secured with high levels of expensive agency/locum staff.
* The training of Junior Doctors cannot be provided to acceptable levels.
* There is an effective alternative ‘out of hospital’ care model or an alternative ‘shared care’ delivery model.
* The delivery of the service is costing significantly more than that of peers or of alternative ‘out of hospital’ alternatives due to a combination of the above factors.
The consultation document and a response questionnaire can be found at online:
The public consultation closes Friday 20 January 2017.
Consultation Name: Consultation on Criteria for Reconfiguring Health and Social Care Services.
Responses should be sent to:
Email: Reconfig.criteria@health-ni.gov.uk
Written: Reconfiguration Criteria Consultation
Department of Health
Room C3.6
Castle Buildings
Stormont Estate
Belfast, BT4 3SQ.
