The Council always seeks to respond to people's concerns about health and social services as they arise. However the Council also sets out an annual work programme which looks to ensure that key issues are monitored and that we highlight things that are not acceptable.

The Council holds a public meeting each month where members can comment on issues and raise local concerns. There are 30 council members and they are all local people who have an interest in health and social services. None of the members are paid for their time but they are all interested in better health and social services for our community.

In the past year the Council has looked in depth at a number of issues. These included:

	Patients waiting on trolleys in Accident and Emergency departments prior to being admitted to hospital
	The new contract for GPs and how it is affecting patients
	The provision of new community schemes as an alternative to hospital care
	The Health and Social Services response to the suicide and mental health problems in North and West Belfast
	The Review of Public Administration and how to best keep patients' views high on the health and social services agenda.

In exploring these issues the Council met with patients, carers, community groups and voluntary groups as well as the Department of Health and Social Services, the Eastern Health Board, hospitals doctors and many other health and social service professionals. More detailed information on the Council's activities is available on our website.