Morning, Thursday, 28th November 2024
Online
The conference focuses on next steps for health and social care policy and delivery in Northern Ireland.
It will be a timely opportunity for stakeholders and policymakers to discuss priorities following the Health Minister’s announcement of key initiatives including a three-year Strategic Plan for Health and Social Care, focusing on stabilisation, reform and delivery to achieve better outcomes for patients and service users, due to be published this autumn. We are pleased to be able to include a keynote session with the Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt MLA.
Delegates will examine the implementation and outlook of the Health and Wellbeing 2026: Delivery Together plan, produced in response to Dr Rafael Bengoa’s 2016 report looking at the best configuration for health and social care services, with Dr Bengoa returning to Northern Ireland this autumn with the aim of refocusing and ‘rebooting’ healthcare reform. There will also be a focus on strategies for reducing health waiting times, one of the Northern Ireland Executive’s immediate priorities in its Draft Programme for Government 2024-2027.
We are also pleased to include a further keynote session with Liz Kimmins MLA, Chairperson, Committee for Health.
Sessions in the agenda will discuss priorities for funding allocation and practical steps to alleviate healthcare pressures, such as the roll-out of Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) and the implementation of Elective Care Centres, and how digital tools could improve care quality and timeliness. The Live Better initiative will also be examined, which aims to tackle health inequalities by bringing targeted health support to the communities that need it most, including for services like health screening and vaccinations, mental health support, and blood pressure and cholesterol checks.
Delegates will consider the Towards a Hospital Network plan, which aims to change the way health care services are provided across Northern Ireland by reorganising the healthcare estate into nine acute hospitals - the Royal Hospitals, Belfast City, Ulster, Antrim, Causeway, Altnagelvin, Daisy Hill, Craigavon and the new South West Hospital - supported by seven local hospitals and additional local hospitals in other locations as required.
The agenda includes a focus on workforce priorities, including staff retention, workloads, pay parity, and support for training and upskilling. Delegates will also examine strategies for tackling issues with general practice after a record number of surgeries handed back contracts in 2023, including the Royal College of General Practitioners NI’s recent A Workforce Fit for the Future retention plan.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- service reconfiguration and hospital reorganisation:
- plans to redesign hospital services and consolidate Northern Ireland’s fifteen acute hospitals into nine supported by seven local hospitals
- impact on the workforce, patients and other stakeholders - considering future funding priorities
- workforce development and challenges:
- approaches to supporting and upskilling staff - investment in leadership and training - lessons from MDTs
- strategies to improve retention, specifically in primary care - managing workloads - priorities for reducing pressure and workload on individuals - increasing morale
- the future role, involvement and impact of community in service delivery
- digital innovation: opportunities for expanding e-health solutions to enhance service delivery and efficiency - improvements in data management, collection and integration
- reducing waiting times and easing capacity pressures:
- addressing discrepancies between Type 1 and Type 2 Emergency Departments in meeting four-hour targets
- enhancing patient flow and addressing appointment cancellations - protecting patient safety during treatment delays
- Elective Care Centres: building on the implementation of Elective Care Centres and Day Procedures - impact on planned care waiting times - plans to manage demand for elective procedures
- health inequalities:
- the Live Better initiative and priorities for tackling disparities - providing health support in communities most in need - focus on preventative measures
- increased uptake of health screening and vaccinations - improving health literacy - addressing inequalities created by waiting lists - considering the legacy impact of Stormont suspension
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
