The Symposium brought together College members, the Minister, Chief Medical Officer and others to talk about the key challenges facing pathology services in Northern Ireland, and opportunities presented by technological innovations.
The Minister spoke about the important role that pathologists play across Northern Ireland's health system, to both prevention and diagnosis of disease. He also spoke about the work to transform Northern Ireland's pathology services to make them fit for the future.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Michael McBride spoke about the role advances in diagnostics, such as AI & genomics, can play in making pathology services in Northern Ireland more efficient, to the benefit of patients everywhere.
The rest of the day was filled with interesting insights from our members across Northern Ireland about their work to improve patient outcomes and introduce new technologies in their practice, across different specialties and areas of Northern Ireland. Presenters reflected on how their insights could be impactful within the next 5 years.
Dr Alison Watt, Chair of the RCPath Northern Ireland Regional Council said “We were delighted to be joined by the Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer at our Northern Ireland Symposium last week.”
Our members are at the forefront of supporting Northern Ireland's health systems to diagnose and prevent disease, and we were keen to be able to share this good work with the Minister and CMO.
We look forward to continuing our work with the Department of Health to transform Northern Ireland's pathology services in the coming years to benefit patients, and to demonstrate to policymakers the key role pathology plays in the run up to the Northern Ireland Assembly elections next year".
Health Minister Robbie Butler said: “My ambition as Health Minister is for Northern Ireland to have a world-class health service that people can access more quickly.
“Achieving that ambition requires action across many fronts, but one thing is clear: better patient outcomes depend on strong diagnostic services, and pathology is fundamental to that.
“My Department’s strategic vision, set out in the Three-Year Plan and the HSC Reset Plan, is to build a more sustainable, effective and efficient health and social care system, through innovation, improving productivity, reducing delays in care and ensuring patients receive timely, appropriate treatment".
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