Northern Ireland NHS reforms: DUP, Alliance and SLDP critique Health Minister Mike Nesbitt's hospital reconfiguration plans

The DUP, Alliance and SDLP were speaking after Health Minister Mike Nesbitt launched the reconfiguration framework for hospitals, setting out principles to underpin reorganisation of services.

It states that creating surgical hubs will help to provide certainty that acute hospitals will remain open, a report into the future of healthcare in Northern Ireland has said.

The report – called Hospitals – Creating a Network for Better Outcomes – said services can only be sustained through collaboration.

DUP Health Spokesperson Diane Dodds, has said that the document by the Health Minister is “underwhelming”, given what she said is the lack of detail in the publication.

"We will, of course, take time to study the document in detail, but my early impression is that it is somewhat underwhelming,” she said.

“Eight years on from the Bengoa Report, why is the focus still on principles? Surely we have had all the frameworks we need?”

Alliance MLAs Nuala McAllister welcomed the report but warned that “the time for talking is now over and action is needed”.

She added: “The blueprint is described as a framework for future decision-making, but we do not need more reviews and frameworks for that. We need decisions now.”

SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath said there is “very little detail” in the Minister’s statement.

“Without concrete proposals or timescales there is genuine concern that transformation could once again be allowed to drift. We have heard multiple Health Ministers pay lip service to the notion of transformation but what we need now is delivery to transform our health service and make it fit for purpose to provide patients with the care they need.”