Overview

The political context within which Northern Ireland’s integrated health and social care system operates has changed since the establishment of a devolved administration (‎‎‎‎the Northern Ireland Assembly, set up in 1998 but suspended between 2002 and 2007)‎‎‎‎. A locally elected Health Minister now leads the publicly financed system and has considerable power to set policy and, in principle, to determine the operation of other health and social care bodies.

The system underwent major reform following the passing of the Health and Social Care (‎‎‎‎Reform)‎‎‎‎ Act (‎‎‎‎Northern Ireland)‎‎‎‎ in 2009. The reform maintained the quasi purchaser–provider split already in place but reduced the number and increased the size of many of the bodies involved in purchasing (‎‎‎‎known locally as commissioning)‎‎‎‎ and delivering services.

Government policy has generally placed greater emphasis on consultation and cooperation among health and social care bodies (‎‎‎‎including the department, commissioners and care providers)‎‎‎‎ than on competition. The small size of the population (‎‎‎‎1.8 million)‎‎‎‎ and Northern Ireland’s geographical isolation from the rest of the United Kingdom provide a rationale for eschewing a more competitive model. Without competition, effective control over the system requires information and transparency to ensure provider challenge, and a body outside the system to hold it to account. The restoration of the locally elected Assembly in 2007 has created such a body, but it remains to be seen how effectively it will exercise accountability.