22/09/2005

Sharing improvements across the health service

The importance of celebrating innovation and hard work across Northern Ireland's Health Service has been highlighted today.

At a 'Sharing Day', organised by the Department of Health's Service Improvement Unit, 28 projects were on display detailing improvements which have transformed the lives of thousands of people in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at today's opening, Paul Simpson, Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health said: "This event is all about a personal commitment to make things better for patients. Teams from across Northern Ireland have made real and measurable improvements for people using our health and social services. Each and every one of us is a potential user of the service and we expect to receive the best care it is possible to provide.

"The teams have worked very hard to improve the experience and the outcome for their patients and clients and they are rightly proud of the improvements they have made. This event is an opportunity for them to share their success, highlighting what they achieved, how they did it and what they learned along the way, and they hope that others will follow their example".

The event marks the end of the second wave of the Service Improvement Programme that began in September 2004. A third wave of the service improvement programme began in March 2005 and applications for a fourth wave are planned for Spring 2006.

The Service Improvement Unit sits within the DHSSPS and was set up to run initially for three years. The Unit has now been extended to run until 2009

(MB/SP)

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