Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Select Committee on the Future of Healthcare

Health Service Reform: Representatives of Health Sector Workforce

9:00 am

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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I would like to add to that point. This is an issue with which we as a committee are grappling. We very much recognise the fact that there is change fatigue across the system and yet an issue that is raised here on a weekly basis is how do we have an integrated system when we have seven hospital groups and nine community health organisations, CHOs, and they are not aligned. There is not time to discuss that here. I do not know to what extent congress has considered the organisational structures. I know Mr. Liam Doran said in his introductory statement that we needed a simplified, integrated and readily understood organisational structure. We certainly do not have that at the moment. Have the witnesses given much thought to organisational administrative structures, and, if not, they might come back to us on that point because it is an issue that has come up time and again. We are very slow to consider recommending yet another change but at the same time we cannot get our heads around the fact of how one could possibly have an integrated system with the level of disintegration between acute hospitals and community organisations.