The furore over Jim Wells's comments on gay relationships and his subsequent resignation as minister has rather shifted the focus from the very serious problems which continue to beset our health service.
Figures released this week show we are failing to get to grips with appalling waiting times in our accident and emergency units. If anything this situation seems to be getting worse, despite initiatives designed to address the issue.
The government says 95 per cent of casualty patients should be treated within four hours but for our acute hospitals, this is a target which is rarely reached.
In March, just 73.7 per cent of patients were treated within four hours, which was down from 74.8 per cent in January.
It will be recalled that in January concerns were expressed after it was revealed Northern Ireland had the worst A&E waiting times in the UK.
At that time, the figure for December was 76.7 per cent so any further decline has to be viewed with alarm.
The number of patients waiting more than 12 hours is also on the increase, with the Royal Victoria Hospital experiencing particular difficulties.
While there does not appear to be a single reason for this deteriorating situation, as we know there are a range of factors involved, including a lack of available beds.
According to Valerie Watts, chief executive of the Health and Social Care Board, there has been a ``significant increase'' in the number of frail elderly patients with complex needs requiring longer stays in hospital and more complex care packages on discharge.
The much-vaunted Transforming Your Care (TYC) initiative was designed to tackle this sort of problem, with appropriate resources being put into the community to allow patients to leave hospital as soon as they are ready, get back into their homes where possible and be properly looked after.
Like many other government projects, TYC has been hit by delays although Ms Watts recently insisted it was here to stay.
It makes sense to direct money to district nursing and community care packages to ensure elderly people can get the care and support they need outside hospital.
But all too often these important services are trimmed and stretched to the point where health professionals are under pressure and unable to provide the level of attention patients require.
For their part, most people would prefer to be at home rather than in hospital for weeks and months, with the added risk of acquiring a serious infection which can make their condition worse.
The new health minister will have a long list of issues to tackle but reducing waiting times would be a sign that progress is being made.
