A Message from the Chairman

I am delighted to present to you the Northern Health and Social Services Council’s 2003/2004 Annual Review. I pay tribute to my predecessor Joe McFadden and thank him for the sterling work he did as Chairman.

I am no stranger to the NHSSC. I originally served as a member from August 1997 to May 2001 and then again from December 2001. I was elected Chairman in November 2003, having served as Acting Chairman from June 2003.

My intention from the outset was to seek a higher profile for Health and Social Services Councils and a greater recognition of their role by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Indeed one of the recommendations from the Human Organs Inquiry Report was that Health and Social Services Councils should have a higher profile. In implementing this recommendation we are grateful to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for allocating funding across the four Councils to develop a promotional strategy and supporting material.

The Review of Public Administration is well underway and Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland are working towards the implementation of a new pattern of hospitals. We can only hope that this will not be change for the sake of change but rather result in much improved and more efficient health and social services. As part of the preparation for discussions with the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on the future of Health and Social Services Councils the Councils have jointly engaged Simon Bridge Associates to undertake an evaluation of our work. The results will then be used to generate discussion at our joint conference.