The HSC estate is the largest public sector estate in Northern Ireland. Many of our hospitals are 50 to 60 years old and some mental health facilities are over 100 years old. Almost two thirds of the estate needs investment to bring it up to modern day standards, to address infrastructural risks, to meet sustainability and energy efficiency targets, to address health and safety concerns and to provide an environment in which a modern, efficient health service can be delivered.

•  A key driver is the need to put in place the infrastructure required to transform healthcare delivery, providing more treatment and care closer to where people live and work. Where possible, people will be supported to manage independently their treatment and care at home. Facilities will support services encompassing primary care, social work, community based mental health, learning and physical disability, children's care and elderly day-care. This is intended to reduce the need for hospital admissions or long-term residential care.

•  Alongside this, investment in acute and local hospitals across the region is required to develop a modern, efficient and patient centred hospital service fit for the 21st century which can optimise the benefits of new treatments, new technologies and modern professional skills leading to improved clinical outcomes.

•  Modernisation and reform of our emergency services is essential if we are to maintain the high standards of service and improve performance through better facilities, equipment and technology. Both fire and ambulance services require significant investment to remedy out-dated estate, accelerate feet modernisation and replacement, and modernise equipment (in particular communications and data transmissions) to achieve maximum benefits for the population served.

•  Investment in technology will support and empower healthcare professionals and their support staff in undertaking their work and promote more effective and seamless administration and care delivery across all settings and services. Use of new ICT systems will transform working practice and be a critical agent in delivering top quality healthcare for the future in both healthcare settings and in peoples' homes. It will be a top priority area of activity to be developed over the next decade.

The Minister has recently instigated a review of health and social care services. As part of its remit, the review team has been tasked with making recommendations on the future configuration and delivery of services in hospital, primary care and community or other settings. The outcome of this review is likely to impact on capital plans for the sector. In addition, a Health Infrastructure Board has been established to develop a Strategic Implementation Plan in order to progress the required developments in primary and secondary care, using, where appropriate, a combination of public and private capital.