AQW 49542/22-27


Miss Nuala McAllister
Alliance Party
North Belfast


Tabled Date: 24/06/2026
Answered On Date: 16/07/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the level of Departmental performance accountability for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, following the June 2026 Muckamore Abbey Hospital Inquiry report publication.


Answer:
The Department of Health manages the performance of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) through a number of performance accountability, governance and assurance mechanisms; including the Statutory Function process, the Support and Intervention Framework and agreed Strategic Outcomes Measures.
In addition, accountability meetings with the BHSCT and all Trusts, are held at least once a year; chaired by the Permanent Secretary and attended by the Chair and Chief Executive of each Trust. Performance, finance and other issues requiring escalation, inform discussion at accountability meetings.
Ground clearing meetings are also held with all Trusts, including the BHSCT at least twice a year and are chaired by the DoH Executive Board Member Sponsor and attended by senior Trust Officials.  The agenda covers core corporate governance, centred around audit results and controls, supplemented by items proposed by DoH business areas or by Trusts, which are not routinely monitored by existing performance management processes.
Robust assurance processes are in place within each HSC Trust to determine whether safeguarding concerns have been appropriately investigated and resolved. These include internal audit functions, case file reviews, safeguarding assurance reporting, and scrutiny through Trust governance and committee structures. Trust Boards have corporate accountability for safeguarding and receive regular reports to provide oversight and assurance on safeguarding activity and outcomes.
At a regional level, assurance is further supported through safeguarding partnership arrangements, which bring together relevant organisations to monitor safeguarding performance, promote shared learning and support continuous improvement across the system.
Furthermore, learning from Inquiries, safeguarding reviews and inspections inform service improvements, strengthening safeguarding and care provision assurance processes across the health and social care system.
The Department of Health is committed to ensuring performance management of the BHSCT and all Trusts, to support implementation of the Muckamore Abbey Inquiry Report (MAHI) Recommendations.