The Department of Health in Northern Ireland is proposing to introduce new criteria for the Department and Health and Social Care (HSC) organisations to use in future to assess how the delivery of services should be reconfigured in the future. HSC services need to be changed or withdrawn (reconfiguration) in circumstances where either continuation in their present form is unsustainable or where their future delivery could be improved to give better health and wellbeing outcomes for the people who use the service. Following extensive engagement with stakeholders the Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Rafael Bengoa developed a set of criteria for assessing the sustainability of services.
The College response largely agrees with the proposed criteria, although notes that reform will only work where there is a clear clinical pathway, agreed by the relevant healthcare professionals and in place before change occurs. In relation to workforce the considerable amount spent on locum and agency staff was noted, as was the impact of inconsistent and locum staffing on training junior doctors.
