13/04/2016

Minister Accused Of Failing To Reform Health And Social Care Sector

The Health Minister has been slammed over his failure to introduce effective reform to the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland.

Alliance Councillor Paula Bradshaw was speaking after the Independent Health and Care Providers body said a number of companies were struggling to stay afloat after the introduction of the national living wage earlier this month.

She said Minister Simon Hamilton has failed to put in place mechanisms to support the independent sector.

She said: "If the DUP had brought forward an effective process of health and social care reform during the last Assembly term to bring the service provision and budget into some order, the affected workers would not be currently being further disadvantaged.

"The Minister has been lobbied on this issue since the UK Government announced the introduction of the living wage and he evidently has not done anything to address it. Now the independent care sector are the ones feeling the effects."

(CD/LM)

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