Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I have stated previously, I intend to continue to implement hospital groups structures but on an administrative basis. The reason is that I asked the House to establish an Oireachtas all-party committee to develop a single long-term vision for health care over a ten year period. It is important that those discussions are progressed before I give further consideration to the issue of establishing hospital groups on a legislative basis. It would be disingenuous to move ahead with that while the committee is doing its work.

With regard to senior hospital management positions, the HSE has developed eligibility criteria for senior management posts at hospital group and individual HSE hospital level. The criteria reflect the particular experience, knowledge and qualifications required for specific posts and public sector recruitment policies apply to the filling of such posts.

Regarding the hospital group board appointments, chairs are in place for all hospital groups and board members were appointed to three out of seven hospital groups - Saolta university health care group, UL hospitals group and the children’s hospital group.

The terms of office of the Saolta university health care group and the UL hospitals group boards are due to expire shortly. Given the scale of the change process involved in implementing hospital groups, the hospital group boards must be populated with individuals with the expertise and competencies necessary to deliver on the strategic and change management agenda.

My Department will shortly advertise, through the Public Appointments Service process, for nominees to all of the hospital group boards, excluding the children's hospital group, and I expect to be in a position to populate all of those boards fully in the autumn, around the end of September. All of those board appointments will be carried out through the Public Appointments Service. It is important to do it that way for transparency. There is benefit in populating the boards, even on an administrative basis. There is a body of work to be done in terms of strategic planning for the hospital groups and the areas that could benefit from it. I intend to populate the boards and to use the Public Appointments Service to do it.

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