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Opportunity to make the Programme for Government the people’s plan

Chair of the Patient and Client Council, Ruth Sutherland, CBE, has welcomed the publication of the Executive’s Programme for Government and the clear opportunity it presents for the public to participate in shaping the future of Government services and society in the region.  The Patient and Client Council (PCC) is a statutory corporate body established in 2009 to provide a powerful, independent voice for patients, clients, carers and communities on health and social care issues within Northern Ireland[1] and therefore have a particular interest in this area.

Commenting on the publication of Our Plan: Doing What Matters Most Programme for Government 2024-2027, Ruth said:

“When consulting on the draft Programme for Government the Executive Parties stated they wanted to work in partnership with the public, outlining that this means listening throughout the consultation period, responding to feedback and then delivering the final Programme for Government in collaboration with everyone in society. The PCC welcomed and continues to welcome this clear ambition.

“Many people lack the confidence that Governments understand the reality of their daily challenges, and that public services are able to meet their diverse needs. Giving people a greater voice in helping to articulate issues, set priorities and develop solutions should help build trust in our democratic institutions and public services, and is therefore crucial to help the Department of Health and the Executive to deliver upon its stated objectives.

“There is a growing recognition of the need to more effectively involve the public in policy development, public sector reform and in delivering effective and safe services. This is reflected in the Executive’s desire to work in collaboration with the public, with the potential of changing the nature of the relationship between the public and services, from one of passive recipients to active partnership. 

“To fulfil the ambition of delivering the Programme for Government, in collaboration with everyone in society, the PCC considers the following three actions can be taken: 

  • An Executive wide approach to public participation:  Taking a regionalised and strategic approach to engaging with the public about reform will be vitally important to ensure it works as successfully as possible. This is the same for all aspects of public sector reform outlined in the Programme for Government. To achieve this, there is a need for greater strategic cohesion in public participation across health and the Executive. With the statutory duty of Involvement that exists across Health and Social Care (HSC), there is the potential for HSC to lead in this area.

By committing to establish a new Delivery Unit at the heart of government, which will work across all departments, the Executive is acknowledging the need for collaborative working and innovation. To ensure the best possible outcomes, a core function of the Delivery Unit should be to strategically align and progress public participation in policy making, implementation and quality assurance across all Executive Departments. Developing measurements for public participation/citizen agency in the reform, delivery and quality assurance of public services in Northern Ireland, should also be a focus of the new Delivery Unit.

  • Regional advocacy support to tackle health inequalities: People who are facing health inequalities, often face issues accessing, navigating and resolving issues about health and social care services, which can be extremely complex (this can also be the case for numerous services delivered across the Executive). Having access to advocacy support, is important for all members of the public, but is often of additional importance to those facing inequalities and is crucially important to addressing them.  Advocacy support is not only vital for individuals and families, it is a key part of assurance within the Health and Social Care System and Government, advocacy is not a ‘nice to have’. It:
    • Reduces potential for compounded harm
    • Provides assurance and can be a key part of the governance and assurance of any review process
    • Enhances potential learning
    • Addresses inequality and subsequently inequity in complaint and engagement processes.
  • Encouraging the better use of data and intelligence to learn early: Better triangulation of information and data, across the HSC system and all Executive Departments, can help ensure that potential issues are captured early, and services can be improved at the right time. Using the data and intelligence from what the public is telling us when services are being delivered well and when they are not, should be considered as vital to expanding best practice, and being alerted to potential issues and areas of concern before they become major incidents.

“Embedding these three actions in the implementation stage of the Programme for Government, we believe, will bring it closer to the public it is intended to serve. We look forward to engaging with the Department of Health and across the Executive on the implementation phase of the Programme for Government”.

Ends

Notes

The PCC is an Arms-Length Body (ALB) of the Department of Health. Established as part of the 2009 reform of Health and Social Care (HSC)[2], we are tasked with providing a powerful, independent voice for the public on health and social care issues across Northern Ireland[3].

Our vision is for a Health and Social Care Service, actively shaped by the needs and experience of patients, clients, carers and communities.

With respect to health and social care services, the PCC:

  • Represents the interests of the public;
  • Promotes the public’s involvement;
  • Assists people who are making a complaint about HSC services;
  • Promotes the provision by HSC bodies of advice and information to the public about the design, commissioning and delivery of services
  • Undertakes research into the best methods and practices for consulting and engaging the public.

The PCC is constructive and resolution focused, working with HSC organisations and others; there is a legislative duty on HSC organisations to co-operate with us, to ensure patients’ voices are heard.

We provide advocacy services for the public, which range from helpline advice, early resolution of issues, individual advocacy, to supporting people through formal complaints and serious adverse incidents.

If we identify a specific need that we cannot help with, we will connect individuals to a partner organisation within the voluntary and community sector or beyond, ensuring people do not fall through gaps in the system.

We also bring members of the public, with common interest and lived experience, together with decision makers from the Department of Health and HSC organisations to improve existing HSC services and plan for the future.

 

[1] Department of Health (2011) DHSSPS Framework Document DHSSPS Framework Document - Approved version September 2011

[2] Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009

[3] https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/dhssps-framework-document-september-2011



Tags: PCC NEWS By PCC at 03/04/2025

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