NHS at 75: 'Lives being lost by not tackling health issues'

Tens or even hundreds of lives are being lost every week in Northern Ireland as a result of not tackling urgent health and social care issues.

This is according to chief executive of the NHS Confederation, Matthew Taylor.

Speaking to BBC News NI, he said it is surprising that no one seems to be addressing the fact lives are being lost.

Mr Taylor is taking part in a series of interviews and events marking the 75th anniversary of the NHS across the UK.

He said the event is an opportunity to explore what is going right and what is not going right within the health and social care system and to think about what type of future people want to create together.

However, he said the local political stalemate is preventing this conversation from taking place.

Northern Ireland has been without a governing executive and legislative assembly in recent months because of the Democratic Unionist Party's protest against post-Brexit trading rules.

• NI health service has 'fallen off a cliff edge'

• More people in NI paying for private healthcare

The lack of local ministers is unfortunate, Mr Taylor said, especially when Northern Ireland is facing some very significant challenges.

Matthew Taylor said health spending in Northern Ireland was falling below the UK average

The NHS Confederation is the membership organisation that brings together, supports and speaks for the whole healthcare system across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The NHS boss said that, as an outsider, he has noticed how people speak out when people are hurt even killed because of political or sectarian violence yet there is not the same reaction when lives are lost in the health service because no one is tackling the big health issues.

He said the additional money Northern Ireland has received compared to England has been "justified", but the consequences of not being able to set a budget now means local spending on health and social care is falling below the national average.