Posts tagged ‘Health’
Health: Ring-fencing the budget
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010The debate over whether to protect health spending. As everyone needs the Health Service at some point in life, it is the most expensive and contentious part of the Executive’s budget. Due to devolution, David Cameron’s promise (above) only covers England so the Coalition’s financial plans could mean health cuts elsewhere. The June Budget warned that protecting health and overseas aid (£114.1 billion in total) could see 25 per cent cuts over four years for other Whitehall departments. An Oxford Economics and ERINI study indicates that if health were protected locally,...[full story]
Health: Alcohol pricing
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010New legislation to tackle alcohol misuse is “imperative” according to law-makers. Meadhbh Monahan outlines the key proposals. Alcohol misuse costs Northern Ireland approximately £900 million per year and the ministers for social development and health are eager to tackle the problem. Responsibility for drafting alcohol regulation laws rests with the Department for Social Development (DSD). Strategies that deal with alcohol abuse are drafted by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS); the current one is the ‘New Strategic Strategy for Alcohol and Drugs...[full story]
Health: Primary care in practice
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010Bright, airy and colourful, the £16.5 million health and care centre in Portadown opened its doors on 29 March. With positive patient feedback reported in a Portadown Times vox-pop and GPs commenting on their contentment at their new working conditions, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust is pleased with the building and its facilities. The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland has described primary care centres as being “responsive to people’s needs; providing greater access to a wider range of services (some previously only available at hospitals) delivered close to...[full story]
Health: Nearing good health
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010After coping with outbreaks of C.difficile in 2008, the Northern Ireland Health Service is getting better, but there is still some way to go. With an increasingly ageing population and the cost of chronic illness accounting for an increasing share of spending, the Public Accounts Committee says that it is time the Health Service made “significant progress” in prevention and promotion. The committee advocates a more “invest to- save” culture, with the aim of “investing in return for savings and/or reform”. However, taking a more individualist approach, the report states that...[full story]
