'Change is difficult. Not changing is fatal'

11 July 2013

Thanks to John Compton’s ‘Transforming Your Care’ document, the future for patient care in Northern Ireland has established desirable – and necessary goals for healthcare in the province. As the title above says, however, ‘Change is difficult. Not changing is fatal’, and, as Dr Tom Black of BMANI says in this issue, there is no plan B…..

To quote Maya Angelou, ‘If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.’ Take a look at the latest issue of NIHR as we show how NI healthcare is more than capable of ‘stepping up to the plate’.

With Northern Ireland healthcare currently at breaking point, change is not only necessary but essential. The province has a population of approximately 1.8m people: the fastest growing population in the UK. The number of people over 75 will increase by 40 per cent by 2020. The population of over 85 year olds in NI will increase by 19.6 per cent by 2014 and by 58 per cent by 2020 over the 2009 figure.

As a result, demand for long-term condition services could grow by around four per cent per year by 2015, resulting in a need for 23,000 extra hospital admissions, 48,000 extra outpatient appointments, 8000 extra nursing home weeks and 40000 extra 999 ambulance responses.

As the title above says, however, ‘Change is difficult. Not changing is fatal’, and, as Dr Tom Black of BMANI says in this issue, there is no plan B…..

To quote Maya Angelou, ‘If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.’

Take a look at the latest issue of NIHR as we show how NI healthcare is more than capable of ‘stepping up to the plate’.