The Western Trust is one of five Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts in Northern Ireland which provide health and social services across Northern Ireland.
Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland
In England, Scotland and Wales the National Health Service (NHS) provides healthcare services while local councils provide social care services. In Northern Ireland these services are combined under what is known as Health and Social Care (HSC).
The Department of Health carries overall responsibility to the Northern Ireland Assembly for the provision of health and social care services in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health develops policy and legislation guiding hospitals, family practitioner services and community health and personal social services. The Department of Health also sets Priorities for Action, key target areas for each of the Trusts to achieve each year to improve health and social care services to benefit patients and other service users across the full spectrum of HSC programmes of care.
The Health and Social Care Board commissions the Trusts to provide services. The Board also manages resources allocated by the Department of Health and is involved in performance improvement and management.
The Health and Social Care Board has Local Commissioning Groups (LCGs) who are responsible for the commissioning of health and social care by addressing the care needs of their local population. They also have responsibility for assessing health and social care needs; planning health and social care to meet current and emerging needs; and securing the delivery of health and social care to meet assessed needs.
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The Western Trust is managed by a Trust Board that consists of the Chair, the Chief Executive, seven non-executive directors and nine directors. The Trust Board makes the major high-level decisions including agreeing the priorities for the Trust, reviewing performance and outcomes, and making sure that the highest standards of governance and personal conduct are in place and are maintained.
The Health Minister appoints the Chairman and non-executive directors who work on a part-time sessional basis. The Chief Executive and Directors are paid employees of the Trust.
Western Trust services are delivered by six directorates:
- Adult Mental Health and Disability Services
- Community & Older People’s Services
- Unscheduled Care, Medicine, Cancer and Clinical Services
- Family and Children’s Services
- Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Services
- Planned Care Services
These service directorates are assisted by support directorates:
- Chief Executive’s Office
- Finance, Contracts and Capital Development
- Human Resources and Organisational Development
- Medical Directorate
- Planning, Performance and Corporate Services
View the Trust’s structure overview.
A number of other key groups assist with various aspects of management of the Trust and with service delivery. Go to the ‘How we make decisions‘ page to find out more.