Letter: Northern Ireland's health and social care services are in urgent need of reform

The latest being Sorcha Eastwood of the Alliance Party, who should – along with the UUP – do the honourable thing as the SDLP did and go into opposition.

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in the House Of Commons looking into all of this is of course a start but will no doubt simply result, as ever, in a lot of talking and grandstanding with very little resulting of any consequence.

In my view the most crucial public services requiring reform are the health and social care services.

What is simply and urgently required is for the relevant minister to call together all interested parties, including users, and with a rather large clean sheet of paper begin the process of turning the whole mess around, with the obvious understanding that simply throwing money at the broken system doesn’t help but rather does the very opposite.

One suggestion, if I may be so bold, would be to immediately do away with all of the trusts and boards, as well as all associated organisations supposedly assisting our welfare but all of which together cause great confusion and facilitate much incompetence and waste and side track much needed funding from the front line.

In addition, a great analysis from Owen Polley on the state of our little country (Meaningless new year tidings from our Stormont politicians, January 6), although I would have gone even further, particularly with regard to our failing health and social care services.

Reform of the system is now critical and extremely urgent.

Jack Irwin, Bangor, County Down