To ask the Minister of Health (i) for his assessment of whether Northern Ireland is an ageing population; and (ii) whether this will underpin the design and delivery of health and social care services.

(i) It is widely recognised, and reported, that Northern Ireland has a growing and ageing population, and with this comes the expectancy of people living longer with multiple conditions. This adds to the complexity of needs that our services must manage, and places additional demands and pressures on the system.

Consequently, there is a fundamental need to change how we deliver services if we are to meet these demands and pressures.

(ii) It is essential to the successful delivery of health and social care services that detailed consideration is given to the demographics of those who will require care. The design and delivery of future services must, and will, take into account the expected needs of the population now, and in the future.

The development of the Integrated Care System NI will support us in doing this, enabling collaborative working across the HSC sector and beyond, placing a focus on people keeping well in the first instance, providing timely, co-ordinated care when they are not, and supporting people to self-care when appropriate.

This approach will help support us to ensure that we are maximizing the resource we have available to deliver the best outcomes for our population.