Details of a major £50 million capital investment into the health infrastructure in the southeast have been revealed.

The plans were confirmed today at a Board meeting of the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, where the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey met with the Trust Board members.

The investment includes improvements to, and the replacement of, buildings across the whole Trust area and all programmes of care.

It will mean important investments at the Ulster Hospital, the new Downe Hospital, Lisburn Assessment Resource Centre, intensive support units for Children’s Services in Bangor and Newtownards and a major project to relocate Bayview Resource Centre.

Welcoming the investment, Mr McGimpsey said: “Health and social services are about people, and the people who use our services and work in them deserve and need to do so in a modern, safe and fit-for-purpose environment. I am delighted to say that with the introduction of the Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, we are now seeing a major increase by my Department in investment in our health care infrastructure across Northern Ireland.”

The Chief Executive of the South Eastern Trust, Mr John Compton welcomed the Minister to the Trust meeting in Downpatrick and said: “We are a new Trust, and I’m happy to be able to announce this investment as we approach the six-month mark. It is positive evidence of our commitment to making things better for our patients and clients and their families. This sets us on our way to putting in place one element of the improvement in service provision that we were set up to achieve.”

Mr McGimpsey added: “Only five years ago, £70 million was the annual spend on capital projects for my Department. This year we will spend £190million – almost treble that investment.”

(SB/SP)