Ulster Unionist MLA Michael McGimpsey has said that the timing of the decision by outgoing Health Minister Simon Hamilton to abolish the Health and Social Care Board is evidence that it was an act of political vindictiveness.

The South Belfast MLA said:

“If the DUP genuinely cared about reforming the administration of health and social care in Northern Ireland they would not have left the decision to abolish the Board to the very final weeks of a five year term of them at the top of the local Health Service.

“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, however this has now ballooned to 600. 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 believe however that the Minister has used the announcement of abolishing the HSCB as a smokescreen for the crippling failures that he has left the local health service with.  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 the 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. I hope in six weeks’ time a new Minister will be able to deliver that.”