Supporting system change: Views and policy priorities of NICON Associate Members

Key points

• In May 2025, NICON held an engagement session for our Associate Members to help identify shared policy priorities and provide them with an opportunity to feed back on our work.
• We identified many areas of commonality on policy. Our Associate Members are acutely aware of the challenges facing the HSC system at present - they discussed current barriers to progress, while also highlighting opportunities for improvement.
• For example, some members felt that the NI system is not yet fully open to embracing new technology and medical innovations. They also wished to see a greater focus on overall system value and on partnership working with the third sector and industry.

Overview

In May 2025, NICON held its first Associate Member engagement session of 2025-26. The session was designed to identify areas of commonality between NICON’s policy priorities and those of its Associate members; to explore how we can continue to support members; and to inform and reinforce our wider work.

What is NICON’s Associate Membership Scheme? Our Associate Membership Scheme is open to organisations that work in the health and social care sphere in Northern Ireland in some capacity. It is designed to facilitate greater collaboration between the HSC system and the wider health and social care community here. We currently have over 40 Associate Members, including not for profits, Royal Colleges, and commercial organisations.