Northern Trust sets out its vision for next three years

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has launched its Corporate Plan, setting out its vision and strategic priorities for the next three years.

A greater focus on unpaid carers and older people, progressing its Strategic Vision for Causeway Hospital, prioritising learning disability services, tackling waiting lists, and pushing forward with its reform agenda are all highlighted in the Trust’s plan.

There is also a commitment to addressing health and social care inequalities through population health initiatives and partnership working, and a focus on rural communities and supporting children’s health and wellbeing.

Northern Trust Chief Executive Jennifer Welsh said: “After publishing a number of single-year corporate plans, we are pleased to have this longer-term three year vision which outlines our main areas of focus for our staff, patients, and wider community.

“The issues facing our health and social care system are well documented. Despite the unprecedented financial challenges, the growing waiting lists, and workforce pressures, our people remain committed to delivering the highest standards of health and social care for our community.

“The purpose of producing a Corporate Plan is to share our vision and objectives but also, and importantly, how we plan to achieve them.”

Themes

The plan is built around five strategic Team NORTH themes:

• build Northern partnerships and integrate care;
• continue to improve outcomes and experience;
• deliver value by optimising resources;
• nurture out people, enable our talent and build our teams;
• improve population health and address health and social care inequalities.

The Northern Trust serves the largest geographical area of the five local HSC Trusts, and provides services to the highest proportion of Northern Ireland’s over-65 population.

Neil Martin, Director of Strategic Planning, Performance and ICT with the Trust, said: “It’s important that we align the services we are providing to the changing needs and demographic of our local population. This will influence where we put our focus as a senior management team, and help shape the transformation of our services so they remain stable and sustainable in the longer term.”

Delivering value

The Trust has also established a Delivering Value Programme Board, which will focus on productivity, cost control and sustainability.

Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance Owen Harkin said: “At a time when our health and social care system is facing unprecedented budgetary pressures, it’s vital that we look at driving efficiencies and savings wherever possible. We have already made significant progress in reducing spend on high-cost agency and locum staff and we are looking at ways in which we can create a more sustainable health estate which will help to deliver savings in the coming years.”

Northern Health and Social Care Trust Corporate Plan

19th September 2024