The Covid-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for the planning and delivery of health and social care (HSC) services in Northern Ireland.
The Rebuilding Strategic Framework, published in June 2020, provides an analysis of the adverse impact of Covid-19 on HSC services. It also sets out the approach to restoring services as quickly as possible, taking into account examples of innovative approaches to service delivery, developed in response to the pandemic.
The Rebuilding Strategic Framework also commits to the development of Trust incremental service plans, detailing how capacity can be increased in the context of COVID-19. For the upcoming difficult winter period, Trusts have been asked to take an integrated approach to surge and winter planning and this is reflected in the Delivery Plans for October to December 2021.
The Health Minister outlined this approach in a Written Ministerial Statement to the Assembly on 22 October 2021, with the Statement also highlighting a number of important regional initiatives to help HSC manage the upcoming pressures.
Belfast HSC Trust Service Delivery Plans - October to December 2021