Health service in Northern Ireland facing watershed year, minister says

Northern Ireland’s health service is facing a “watershed year” of opportunities and challenges, Mike Nesbitt has said.

The Health Minister has published a Health and Social Care reset plan which commits to establishing a “neighbourhood-centred system”, bringing more services closer to communities.

The plan also sets out measures to counter unprecedented financial pressures, with a projected £600 million gap between available funding and the cost of maintaining existing services this year.

Mr Nesbitt said: “This a defining and watershed year for our health service.

“We have to deliver on reform and waiting list investment, while at the same time securing efficiencies and savings on a scale not seen before.

“There are both challenges and opportunities of huge significance.

“At the heart of the reform agenda must be concrete progress on neighbourhood care, bringing more services as close as possible to people’s front doors.

“This has been a long-term objective but meaningful delivery is required, including a new model of primary care and early intervention.”

The minister said the reset plan also sets out the “most ambitious efficiency programme” in the history of the region’s health service.

It is designed to achieve £300 million in savings in 2025/26, in addition to the £200 million delivered in 2024/25.

The programme will include actions focused on improving trust financial controls, reducing locum and agency costs and increasing workforce availability through absence reduction.

Mr Nesbitt added: “The reset plan includes new structures to enable our trusts to take shared decisions on a ‘whole system’ basis.

“In addition, a new approach to systems financial management is being introduced, with a focus on reducing the budget deficit and driving efficiencies in every area of the system, at every level.”