Ulster Unionist MLA Michael McGimpsey has warned that the announcement of the abolition of the Health and Social Care Board will not in itself deliver any benefits to patients.
The former Health Minister said:
“The Health and Social Care Board had clearly lost the run of itself over the last four years. Indeed I previously revealed that whilst in 2011 there were 365 staff employed in the Board, by last year that had rocketed to 525. At a time of major budgetary pressures, which are having a particularly detrimental impact on the care delivered by our hospitals, such an increase of non-frontline personnel was abhorrent.
“I suspect however that the Minister has used the announcement of abolishing the HSCB as a smokescreen for the wider issues facing the health service. Whilst I would support measures on streamlining our local administrative structures, because the Minister has already said he will now be opening a Directorate within the Department to absorb the new responsibilities I suspect most of the potential savings will be negated by that.
“However I do welcome the strengthening of the Public Health Agency, a body which Simon Hamilton and his Party were initially determined to abolish when I originally set it up.
“Unfortunately today’s announcement on the Board will not help a single patient, nurse or GP. What we need right now is strong, competent management and this ultimately needs to start at the top with the Minister. Regrettably that is not there at present.”