Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called on Northern Ireland's political parties to commit to a shared approach for transforming health and social care, marking ten years since the Bengoa report.

Long proposed a new Cross-Party Compact during an Alliance Party event in Belfast on Wednesday. The compact would bring political leaders together to agree a common direction for reform, rather than allowing disagreements to delay decisions.

She said successive health ministers had failed to deliver the scale of change required, leaving patients and staff facing growing pressures. The Bengoa report outlined the need to reorganise health and social care, including moving towards more integrated services.

Long said the failure to transform services had affected hospital provision, women's health, general practice, mental health, social care and staffing. She called for an end to what she described as "kicking the can down the road".

Under her proposal, parties would be invited to work towards a shared position on the future of health and social care transformation. Details of how an agreement would operate have not been established.

Long said she issued an open invitation to the leaders of every other political party. The immediate question is whether other Stormont parties will accept.

Separately, Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw urged the Executive Office to focus on Northern Ireland's ageing population after the Commissioner for Older People published a report on demographic challenges. Bradshaw said the First and deputy First Minister must lead preparations for an ageing society, noting implications for health, housing and social care.