22 March 2007
MINISTER ANNOUNCES IMPORTANT STEP IN THE REFORM OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
The names of the chairpersons and members of the seven new Local Commissioning Groups (LCGs) have been announced by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Services.
Subject to legislative and consultation processes, these groups will eventually be established as committees of the new Health and Social Service Authority (HSSA) from April 2008.
The LCGs will eventually assume responsibility for the commissioning of health and social care services in their respective areas. Mapped against the proposed new district council boundaries, the groups are made up of local GPs, dentists, pharmacist, optometrists, community representatives and professionals from the proposed new Health and Social Services Authority. They will be responsible for ensuring that commissioned services meet the needs of their resident populations and have an overall responsibility for improving the health and well-being in their localities.
Welcoming the establishment of the groups Health Minister, Paul Goggins said: “This is another important step in the reform of health and social services in Northern Ireland.
“The Local Commissioning Groups will enable local health and care professionals to work with community representatives and shape the way services are delivered in their areas. These groups will ensure that local people, service users and their carers as well as local health and social care professionals have a greater say in how resources are used and will work to ensure that local people can access high quality services that are sustainable and responsive to their needs”
David Sissling, Chief Executive (Designate) of the Health and Social Service Authority also welcomed this development. He said: ”I am delighted that the new commissioning structures are beginning to take shape. This is an important development and I look forward to working closely with LCG chairs and members in commissioning more responsive, high quality services for local people.”
The Minister also announced his decision to test new ways of working which would allow local health and social care professionals more flexibility to re-design services around the needs of their patients and clients. Consequently the Department working closely with the proposed new Authority and LCGs intends to introduce a number of commissioning pilots over the coming months to test out how best this can be achieved. The intention is to share the learning from these through consultation before reaching a final decision on the preferred model.
Commenting on this the Minister said: “I want to see a real shift in decision making with local groups of professionals working with local communities.
“By delegating decision-making as close to the patient as possible and by reducing bureaucracy, we can ensure that services are responsive to need and delivered in an efficient way which benefits the individual”.
The LCGs will ultimately oversee this change and be responsible to their local population for their decision-making.”
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- Local Commissioning Groups( LCGs) were first proposed by the Government following the RPA announcement in November 2005.
- Initially they will be established as part of the recently formed Joint Committee of the 4 Health and Social Services Boards, eventually becoming committees of the Health and Social Service Authority
- Seven groups will be established from 1st April 2007 working along side the 4 Health and Social Services Boards until March 2008 when they will assume responsibility for the commissioning of health an social care services in their localities.
- Each group is mapped against the proposed new 7 district council boundaries and comprises 4 GPs, I dentist, I pharmacist , 1 optometrist, 2 community representatives and 6 members of the HSSA (Designate)
- The independent professional members all practice in their LCG area while the community representatives reside there.
- They will actively engage the local population in decision making and participate on behalf of the Department and the HSSA in the community planning process with local government.
- Some specialist services will be commissioned regionally but LCGs will oversee the commissioning of the majority of services for their respective communities.
- There are four GP Chairs (Belfast, North West, West and North East LCGs), two Lay Chairs (East and Inner East LCGs), and one Pharmacist Chair (South LCG).
- Each LCG will establish offices in their local LCG area.
- Media enquiries to Áine Gaughran 028 90520074
Appointments:
North West LCG: Dr Brendan O’Hare (Chairperson)
Dr O’Hare has been a General Practitioner (GP) in Castlederg since 1988. He is married to Paula (also a GP) and they have five children. Dr O’Hare was educated at St Michael’s College, Enniskillen and qualified from Queen’s University, Belfast in 1985. He was a GP Fundholder and a part-time medical advisor in the Western Health and Social Services Board from 2003-2005. Dr O’Hare has been a Macmillan GP facilitator in Palliative care since 2001 and Director of NI Gold Standards Framework Palliative Care Project 2002-2004. He is a member of Northern Ireland Cancer Network (NICaN) primary care group with a specific interest in chemotherapy in the community.Other members:
Martin McCloskey (GP)
Catherine Rawdon (GP)
Laurence O’Kane (Pharmacist)
Eamon O’ Kane (Lay member)
John Conlon (Lay member)
There are 3 vacancies for a GP, a Dentist and an Optometrist.East LCG: Mr Frank Caddy (Chairperson)
Mr Caddy is Chairman of the Royal Group of Hospitals Trust and was previously a Non-Executive Director of the Royal Group for six years. He was formerly Chief Executive of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce before retirement in 2002. He was Director of UK Operations with Lee Apparel working both in Northern Ireland and Canada. Mr Caddy founded the charity ‘Heartbeat’ and was Chair until 1984. He is Chair of the Inclusive Mobility Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC); Chair of Shopmobility Belfast: Chair of Friends of Belfast Botanic Gardens and was also Chair of Ashfield Girls’ High School from 1992 – 2000 and Chairman of Central Belfast Community Police Liaison Committee from 1996 - 2000. His current role is Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Drinks Industry Group (NIDIG).Other Members:
Colin Fitzpatrick (GP)
Paul McGarrity (GP)
Bryan McDonald (GP)
Alan Beck (Dentist)
Len Telford (Optometrist)
Deirdre Brown (Lay member)
There are 2 vacancies for a GP and a Pharmacist.North East LCG: Dr Brian Hunter BDS MBB Ch BaO (Chairperson)
Dr Hunter is a General Practitioner (GP) in Cullybackey Health Centre, and is also a qualified Dentist. He is a medical adviser for the Northern Health and Social Services Board and has acted as commissioning facilitator for the Antrim/Ballymena area and is the sole primary care member of the Regional Medical Services Consortium. Dr Hunter has interests in Health Economics and completed the certificate in Health Care issues and applied Ethics at Queens University, Belfast gaining (Cert HCI&AE ) and Occupational Health (Dip Occ Med). He has worked in both the Waveney Hospital and Holywell Hospitals during his career.Other members:
Terry McGowan (GP)
Turlough Tracey (GP)
Simon Baird (GP)
Fergus Lynch (Dentist)
James McCaughan (Pharmacist)
Judith Ball (Optometrist)
Raymond Milnes (Lay Member)
Janet Schofield (Lay Member)
South LCG: Sheelin McKeagney (Chairperson)
Mr McKeagney graduated from Liverpool School of Pharmacy in 1990. He is past chair of the Pharmaceutical Contractors Committee of Northern Ireland, the body which represents all NHS pharmacies in Northern Ireland (2003 to 2006), past chair of the Southern Area Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee and past member of the Central Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee to the DHSSPSNI (Previously Executive Committee member of the Ulster Chemists Association) 1997 to 2003. Mr McKeagney currently sits on several advisory committees to the DHSSPS including Community Pharmacy Standards Steering Group, the Influenza/Pneumococcal Working Group, the Repeat Dispensing Project, the Minor ailments working group, and the Pandemic 'flu planning group. He represents the views of community pharmacy on the Therapeutic tendering Committee. Mr McKeelin sits on the Southern Area Prescribing Forum, a committee of the Southern Health & Social Services Board. He is a member of the Board of Governors of a Primary school in Craigavon. He is married to Nuala, and they have four children.Other Members:
Keith McCollum (GP) John Digney (GP)
Tom O’Leary (GP)
Paul Maguire (Dentist)
Eamonn Murray (Optometrist)
Sean Hogan (Lay Member)
Robert Gilmore (Lay Member)
There is a vacancy for a GP member.Inner East: Robert Ferguson OBE (Chairperson)
Mr Robert Ferguson O.B.E. has held a variety of Senior Management positions in the Northern Ireland Health and Social Services before his appointment as Chief Executive for South & East Belfast Community Trust. Mr Ferguson has had significant involvement in the European Unions Health Care Informatics Research Programme and in the development of a range of Primary Care initiatives in the South and East Belfast area. He retired as Chief Executive in 2003. Currently Mr. Ferguson is Chairman of Homefirst Community Trust and a member of the Board of Arts Care (NI).Other Members:
Ian Buchanan (GP)
Allan McCullough (GP)
Garth Logan (GP)
Nigel Campbell (GP)
Tim Dundee (Pharmacist)
Jill Campbell (Optometrist)
Aidan Hamill (Lay Member)>br> There is a vacancy for a Dentist.
West LCG:Dr Vincent Davidson (Chairperson)
Dr Davidson graduated in 1980 from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin and completed the Northern Ireland General Practice training scheme in Armagh. He has been a GP Principle in the Erne Health Centre Enniskillen for the last 23 years and senior partner there for the last 5 years, he was also a GP Fundholder and GP member of the Local Health and Social Care Group in the Fermanagh area. Dr Davidson has been a member of the Western Health and Social Services Board Local Medical Committee for about 10 years and have been a General Practice Commissioner with the Western Health and Social Services Board for 10 years and more recently has been one of the two GP representatives on the Strategic Commissioning Team for children and adolesants within the Board. He has been a member of the Sperrin Lakeland Senior management/GP liaison group for a number of years and previously served as secretary and subsequently Chair of the Fermanagh General Practitioners Association for a number of years. He has an interest in forensic and legal medicine and is a member of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians (London), also holds the Diploma in Forensic Medicine from the University of Ulster at Jordanstown. He is married to Mary and has two children, John and Catherine.Other Members:
Walter Boyd (GP)
Eugene Deeny (GP)
Elaine Connor (GP)
Brian Mulholland (Dentist)
Barry Curran (Optometrist)
Mary Duffin (Lay Member)
Jennifer Irvine (Lay Member)
There is a vacancy for a Pharmacist.
Belfast LCG: Dr George O’Neill (Chairperson)
Dr O’Neill is a General Practitioner in the Eastern Health and Social Services Board. He has been in practice in North & West Belfast for 32 years and is in partnership with four colleagues working with an extended multidisciplinary primary care team delivering patient-centred care on a split site. His medical interests include improving Mental Health Services, addressing health inequalities and social need, and developing a wellness service. He is Chair of NICAS (Northern Ireland Community Addiction Services) and a Lead GP Appraiser. He is a member of the Eastern Local Medical Committee, the NI General Practitioners Committee and Northern Ireland British Medical Association Council. Dr O’Neill has been a GP Fundholder and was also an Executive member of the North and West Belfast Local Consortium Total Purchasing Pilot.Other members:
Grainne Bonnar (GP)
Alan Stout (GP)
Gearoid Burns (GP)
Mike Townsend (Dentist)
Terence Maguire (Pharmacist)
John Morrin (Optometrist)
Andrew Dougal (Lay Member)
Brenda Liddy (Lay Member)
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