Chief Medical Officer’s welcome to the programme
As the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) of the Pathology Blueprint Programme, I am delighted that the first major milestone towards delivering the Minister for Health’s policy vision for a regional pathology management structure has been achieved.
It is only thanks to the significant efforts of our Programme Stakeholders that we have been able to identify the preferred option for regional pathology management as a Pathology Special Agency, and develop a high-level design for the future operations of that Agency, as well as an outline plan to guide transition to that in future, should it go ahead.
Colleagues in Department of Health Strategic Planning and Performance, and Finance will now review the business case, draft high level design and other deliverables before passing these to the Department of Finance for review. It is expected that a decision would be made by the Minister around May or June 2025 on whether to proceed with Phase 2 of the Programme, which would develop detailed operating arrangements for a future Agency.
The pandemic showed just how important sustainable pathology services are to our health system. In recognition of this, the Minister announced a £40m investment in a regional Laboratory information system (LIMS), and £20m capital investment, and a further investment of £18m revenue over the next ten years in a regional Blood Production and Tracking (BPaT) solution, which is the first of its kind in the UK and Europe and will enable blood to be fully tracked from donation to recipient. The Minister also published a policy statement setting out the future vision for pathology services, including the establishment of this Programme to plan for a new regional pathology management structure. Alongside the important work taking place through the NI Pathology Network, these developments will create a strong foundation for a sustainable world class pathology service for HSC patients well into the future.
The Department’s Performance and Transformation Executive Board has given its collective support for this work, recognising the scale of change in pathology as well as in the wider system. We will continue to take account of that in our planning, but we must retain the strong focus on delivering our high-quality business as usual during this time of change.
I would like to extend thanks to you, our Programme Stakeholders and Critical Friends for the invaluable contributions you have made to this work. I will provide further update when a decision has been made by the Minister for Health on whether to proceed with Phase 2 of the Programme.
Professor Sir Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer, DoH
Message from Programme Director
I am very pleased that the Programme has completed the first phase of its journey toward implementing HSC Pathology Policy. It has been a truly interactive experience to coproduce a design for a future pathology management structure with our Stakeholders.
On behalf of the Programme Team, I would like to thank all Stakeholders who took part in Phase 1 and helped us to create such high quality outputs, not least Pathology Staff and Corporate Services staff in Trusts, NIBTS and NIMDTA, Professional Bodies, Trade Unions, Quality and Regulatory Bodies, the BSO, PHA and Department of Health SPPG, Policy and Finance.
Throughout the Programme, we have benefited enormously from the supportive engagement of our Programme Critical Friends who have experience of similar changes. This includes the Pathology Programmes in other parts of the UK and in Ireland, Pathology Professional Bodies and individual NHS Pathology Networks in England. On behalf of the Programme Team, I extend sincere thanks to our Critical Friends for all their input to the Programme to date.
During Phase 1, we engaged Stakeholders to conduct an appraisal of the options for a regional pathology management structure. The outcome of this process was the conclusion that a Pathology Special Agency is the preferred option. This is presented in the form of a Business Case that has been submitted to the Department of Health for consideration.
A high-level design for a future Agency Target Operating Model has also been developed with Stakeholders, along with an Outline Transition Plan setting out a process for more detailed planning and transition to an Agency in future, should that go ahead. You can view both of these documents on this webpage.
As part of this work, and also following discussion with Stakeholders, the Programme conducted three impact assessments:
- The Equality Impact Assessment will be published for a 13-week public consultation by the Department of Health in December 2024, and a link to the consultation will be added to this webpage when it is available. The outcome will inform the Minister’s decision.
- A Data Privacy Impact Screening exercise concluded that because creating a Pathology Special Agency involves sensitive personal information, a full Data Privacy Impact Assessment will be required in Phase 2. This assessment is available on request.
- A Rural Needs Impact Assessment concluded that there would be no impact on social and economic needs of people in rural areas. This assessment is available on request.
All three impact assessments will be revisited to ensure that no other impacts have been missed or arise during the process of detailed design in Phase 2.
I look forward to being able to provide a further update when a decision has been made by the Minister for Health on whether to proceed with Phase 2 of the Programme.
Karin Jackson
Blueprint Programme Director
Pathology Network Chair’s Message
At Pathology Network Board on 22nd April 2022, the establishment of the Blueprint Programme was welcomed; the Pathology Network has had an important role in driving improvement in pathology services since its inception in 2009. As incoming Chair of the Network, I look forward to continuing to support effective collaboration between the Pathology Network and the Pathology Blueprint Programme.
The Network has been and remains a critical enabler for the NI Pathology Information Management Systems (NIPIMS) Programme. In the same way, it has enabled the HSC Pathology Blueprint Programme to engage effectively with pathology stakeholders and services in the development of the high-level design for a regional Pathology Special Agency.
We in the Network will continue with our current workplan, because if established, a future Pathology Agency would adopt and use the products that the Network is currently developing. These include new a Regional Workforce Plan, a Quality and Regulatory Framework, new career and training opportunities for staff, standardisation and more regional approaches to how we work across the spectrum of pathology service delivery to improve quality. The Network will continue to strive to ensure pathology services are at the heart of shaping their future.
This Programme also spells a time of change for the Network, since its functions will become part of the new regional pathology management structure. The opportunity to embed the highly effective multi-disciplinary, multi-professional regional planning and working that has evolved through the Network will greatly enable the speed with which the new management structure, once designed and approved, would become operational.
Moira Kearney,
Chair, NI Pathology Network