Civil servants can't 'overreach' on NHS, says top offical
"We are very cautious and conscious of the need to take decisions that are for the best for our society, but not to overreach in taking those decisions, to move outside what it would be appropriate for unelected public officials to do," he said."If you look back over the last five or six years, we've had nearly a year now without an executive.
"So that's a six-year period in which there hasn't been that long-term sustained focus on how we are going to improve our health and social care system and for me, that's the key area that we need to focus on."Patients waiting on trolleys in the emergency department of the Royal Victoria Hospital in BelfastHe outlined priority planning areas for the future, including increased domiciliary care and wider social care capacity, with sustained investment in staffing.
There will also be a focus on community-based care to help people live healthier lives and reduce the need for acute care.Even with action, Mr May said there could be no guarantee the current pressures would not resurface next winter."Covid appears to have accelerated that pattern and made things more difficult, so there are some challenges here about the level of demand as well as the capacity.
"The problems we are seeing across health and social care are mirrored across these islands. There is no quick or simple solution."
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