Speaking during her visit to Irvinestown on Monday, the minister said she had initially expected to publish the proposals by December this year, but slippage in the publication of the Hayes report had put that date back by some months.

    Ms de Brun said her department was “taking soundings” in the aftermath of the Hayes report and had invited people’s responses, which should be submitted by October.

    After this, she would be putting proposals to her colleagues in the Executive, and would be working with them to come up with a strategic overview that would take account of financial and other considerations.

    The programme for government had envisaged that this process would be complete by the end of the year, but delays in producing the Hayes report had pushed the date back.

    After this, it would take several years to implement this strategic overview, the minister said.

    In the meantime, controversial belt-tightening measures put in place by the Sperrin Lakeland Trust were being kept under review, she said.

    Bed numbers had dropped during the summer because an excess had been provided to cope with winter pressures, Ms de Brun explained.

    She said: “I have made it very clear that until long-term decisions have been taken on the future of acute hospital services, the services should be maintained, and at any time that this is not possible, changes should be temporary and should be the minimum possible.”

    Although the Sperrin Lakeland Trust had criticised the Hayes report for concentrating on patient accessibility to services at the expense of sustainability, Ms de Brun said the strategic overview would take all factors into account.