1 April 2011 Last updated at 16:41

NI assembly election issues guide: Health

Health is a power devolved from Westminster to Stormont.

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Election issues 2011
Health
DUP	Sinn Fein	UUP	SDLP	Alliance	Green	TUV
Expand cancer services Roll out the Family Nurse Partnership NI-wide, providing intensive home visiting to all vulnerable first time mothers Introduce a Dignity Charter for older people in hospital Increase spending on health in real terms and introduce genuine local commissioning to drive efficiency and productivity	Introduce all-Ireland public health system, providing free care for all on the basis of need Update the Investing for Health Strategy, with an emphasis on enhancing public health funding Prioritise the importance of domiciliary care packages, and reverse the perception that these are 'soft services' which can continually be cut Highlight inefficiencies within the health department, while giving support to frontline health workers Work to deliver on the promise of a new satellite and radiotherapy unit in Altnagelvin ensure that the service framework for cancer prevention, treatment and care is published and implemented without delay	Continue to ensure healthcare is free at the point of delivery and available to everyone based on need Strive to see proper funding for the health service, despite the cuts placed on the Department of Health within the 2011-2015 budget Commit to implementing the Bamford Report	Push for a programme of change for the health service to achieve greater investment in public health to keep people out of hospital for longer Restructure the budget to recognise the greater expansionary nature of health as opposed to other departments Work to reverse the health minister's recent decision not to fund the radiotherapy unit at Altnagelvin though a clear assembly resolution Implement reasonable means of achieving efficiency savings in health service administration and reallocate resources to the frontline to keep jobs at the current level Work towards future delivery of health in an all-Ireland context	Promote a cross-party working group to discuss and agree major reforms with the health service Better focus on public health, prevention and early intervention to improve health outcomes, address health inequalities and to save money Greater emphasis upon better home and community services Increase funding for mental health services and deliver a single Mental Health and Mental Capacity Bill Tackle bureaucracy and develop cross border co-operation to save money to protect vital services	Oppose proposals to scrap the Health Promotion Agency whose remit is to help improve society's health The current budget continues the underinvestment in health started by the 2007 budget oppose privatisation of the NHS Treat the causes of ill health not just the symptoms	Frontline services must be staffed effectively and efficiently Bloated bureaucracy must be pruned in order to prioritise delivery for patients Hospitals must be kept clean and safe for patients Ensure that new treatments are available to patients in Northern Ireland at the same time frame as they are in the rest of the UK No hospital should close until extra beds are available in other hospitals equal to the number closed