Stark health inequalities must be addressed

"This is a period of dramatic and exciting change for heath and social care in Northern Ireland. Change that is needed if we are to adapt to the changing needs of the population.

"In this year, the 60th Anniversary of the NHS, we have already seen immense change. We have witnessed incredible advances in medicine that have enabled life expectancy to increase dramatically and infant mortality to be halved. 60 years on however, Northern Ireland still faces many challenges.

"Health inequalities are still rife. It is a fact that people who live in deprived areas, in poor housing, who are unemployed and have lower educational attainment, are more likely to suffer ill health and sadly, an earlier death. We also have increasing rates of suicide, one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe, high levels of obesity, smoking related deaths and binge drinking."

"It is against that backdrop that I believe that the pursuit of a public health agenda and addressing our stark health inequalities must be at the heart of a 21st Century health and social care system."

"Public health is what we do as a society to improve and protect the health of the population. It is about helping people to take responsibility for their own health, preventing disease and educating the population on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. It is also too important to be left solely to the health service. All Government Departments and indeed, all of society have a role to play.

"My proposals would therefore enable the new Regional Public Health Agency to drive the health improvement agenda by building on the work of existing partnerships between health and other sectors to achieve demonstrable improvements in key public health measures such as mental health and obesity.

“The Agency would also work closely with local government, who already work with local communities, to develop and shape services to achieve a better quality of life for local people. I want to strengthen, renew and reinvigorate their role. To facilitate this, elected representatives would be appointed to the Board of the Agency."

"The Agency would also include a Health Protection Unit whose key role would be the prevention and control of infections and emergency planning, improving our capacity to react quickly. The recent outbreak of C difficile here and the resulting concern and anxiety it raised among the general public, reinforce the importance of being able to respond quickly and effectively."

"The integration of the Agency’s multi-professional public health expertise, into the work of the Board, will ensure that commissioning drives change, transforms services and truly improves the health of the population. The Agency will be an important new centre of public health expertise, and will create a focused, co-ordinated drive for sustained improvement in public health."

"Today I have outlined my proposals for the future of public health. This is one of a number of important proposals I have announced for health and social care that I have issued for public consultation today. I would encourage all interested parties to make their views known.

"We need to have the courage to seize this opportunity to change our system. To dare to change. To be radical and ambitious in our goals and to lay the foundations for a more healthy, more productive, more confident Northern Ireland."