To ask the Minister of Health for an update on the work of the Committee in Common for Health and Social Care providers.

The Reset plan commits to delivering change through working together as one Health & Social Care system.

In recognition that many of the current issues facing the HSC cannot be dealt with by Trusts working in isolation, the six Health and Social Care Trusts have strengthened their approach to collaborative working through establishing the Committee in Common.

The Committee in Common is a formal collaborative governance arrangement that brings together the six Health and Social Care Trusts to address shared priorities through strategic alignment, oversight and collective problem-solving, while maintaining the statutory accountability of individual Trust Boards.

The Committee is now overseeing a developing portfolio of Provider Collaboratives focused on key priority areas, including Enhanced Care, Gynaecology Elective Care, workforce initiatives such as the candidate passport, regional agency reduction, the regional coordination centre and the rollout of virtual wards. In addition, further collaboratives are emerging in areas such as psychiatry, haematology and head and neck services.

Encouraging progress is already being demonstrated. In Gynaecology Elective Care, the introduction of standardised red-flag triage and improved pathways with primary care that support care closer to home. Outpatient waits of over three years have reduced by approximately 85% and inpatient and day case waits by around 86% since September 2025.

In Enhanced Care, there has been tangible progress in improving discharge pathways and increasing care home capacity, helping to address delays in acute settings.

Work is also progressing to reduce reliance on off-framework agency staff, delivering both workforce stability and cost improvements. Meanwhile, virtual wards are advancing through design and implementation, with initial admissions expected later this year and further development planned for rural areas.