COMMITTEE FOR HEALTH, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PUBLIC SAFETY
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Seminar Rooms, Muckamore Abbey Hospital
Present: Mrs Iris Robinson MP MLA (Chairperson)
Dr Kieran Deeny MLA
Mr Alex Easton MLA
Mr Tommy Gallagher MLA
Mr Sam Gardiner, MLA
Mrs Carmel Hanna MLA
Ms Claire McGill MLA
Mrs Michelle O’Neill MLA (Deputy Chairperson)
In Attendance: Mr Hugh Farren (Clerk)
Mr Mark McQuade (Assistant Clerk)
Mrs Noelle Bourke (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Joe Westland (Clerical Supervisor)
Mr Rodney Aiken (Clerical Officer)
Apologies: Mr Thomas Buchanan MLA
Mr John McCallister MLA
Ms Sue Ramsey MLA
The meeting commenced at 2.01 pm in public session.
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Apologies
Apologies as listed above.
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Chairperson’s Business
The Chairperson thanked the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust for hosting the Committee visit to Muckamore Abbey Hospital and the use of the Seminar Room to hold the Committee meeting.
Members agreed a press release about the Committee visit to Muckamore Abbey Hospital.
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Draft Minutes of the Meetings held on 18 September 2008
The minutes of the meeting held on 18 September 2008 were agreed.
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Matters arising
The Committee noted a summary of the key points arising out of the informal meeting with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The Committee noted a summary of the key points arising out of the informal meeting with the Pharmaceutical Contractors Committee.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about proposals for a Northern Ireland NHS Homeopathy Service.
The Committee noted a response from the Minister about hospital car parking charges. Members agreed to investigate the model used for free car parking in Scotland.
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Health & Social Care (Reform) Bill.
Evidence session with the Health & Social Services Boards
Members took evidence from the following witnesses:
Dominic Burke Acting Chief Executive, Western Health & Social Services Board
Paula Kilbane Chief Executive, Eastern Health & Social Services Board
Stuart MacDonnell Chief Executive, Northern Health & Social Services Board
Fionnuala McAndrew Director of Social Services, Southern Health & Social Services BoardDr Kieran Deeny made a declaration of interest that he was a member of a Local Commissioning Group
A question and answer session ensued. The chairperson thanked the witnesses for attending.
A Member made a request that witnesses avoid using abbreviations when presenting evidence to the Committee.
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Health & Social Care (Reform) Bill.
Evidence session with the Health & Social Services Councils
Members took evidence from the following witnesses:
Richard Dixon Chief Officer, Eastern Health & Social Services Council
A question and answer session ensued. The chairperson thanked the witnesses for attending.
3.08 p.m. Committee meeting adjourned.
3.16 p.m. Committee meeting resumed.
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Health & Social Care (Reform) Bill.
Evidence session with the Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
Members took evidence from the following witnesses:
Alice Casey Interim Chief Executive, Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
Phelim Quinn, Director of Operations, Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
Jude O'Neill Head of Mental Health and Learning Disability, Regulation & Quality Improvement AuthorityA question and answer session ensued. The chairperson thanked the witnesses for attending.
3.22 p.m. Mr Tommy Gallagher rejoined the meeting.
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Consultation
Members agreed to defer consideration of a Committee response to the Department’s consultation on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Action Plan 2010/2111until the Committee Stage of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Bill had been completed.
The Committee agreed to arrange a visit to the Welsh Assembly to look at the work being done there on the Wales Autism Strategy.
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Correspondence / Press Cuttings / Press Releases.
The Committee noted statistics on substitute prescribing.
Members noted an invitation received from Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.
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Any other business
The Committee noted an e-mail from the Allied health Professions and agreed that they should be invited to give evidence to the Committee at its next meeting.
The Committee agreed to visit the Maternity and the Children’s Hospitals at the Royal on Thursday 23 October 2008.
The Committee agreed to defer its planned visit to Great Ormond Street Hospital until after the Christmas recess.
Members noted that the Committee would be holding a reception for 18 health related groups on Tuesday 30 September 2008.
Members agreed to write to the Minister and the Western Health and Social Care Trust about plans to withdraw reward money paid to adults with learning disabilities. The Committee also agreed to write to the other Health and Social Care Trusts to ask if they had plans to withdraw these payments.
The Committee noted the recent announcement about the abolition of prescription charges for cancer patients in England & Wales and agreed to contact the Department for an indication when a decision would be made in Northern Ireland.
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Date, time and place of the next meeting
The next meeting of the Committee will take place on Thursday, 2 October 2008 at 2.00pm in the Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings.
The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.18 pm.
Signed: ______________________________
Chairperson
Date: ________________________________