Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, together.

Cabinet committee E last met on 22 November 2018. A date for the next meeting has not yet been scheduled. In addition to the meetings of the full Cabinet and Cabinet committees, I often meet with Ministers and their teams on an individual basis to focus on particular issues. In this regard, I regularly meet with the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, to discuss issues relating to our health service.

The Government’s continuing commitment to improve access to health and social services for the people through investment across community and hospital services is reflected in the significant increases in health investment in recent years. This year will see the highest ever level of health funding in the history of the State. We have also committed almost €11 billion in capital investment over the next ten years through the national development plan and Project Ireland 2040, which is approximately double what was invested in infrastructure in healthcare in the past ten years.

The recently published national service plan sets out in detail the level of health services to be provided by the HSE within the available funding for the coming year. It outlines the provision of a range of Government initiatives including mental health enhancements, disability services, cervical screening, the HPV vaccine for boys, the introduction of termination of pregnancy services and the merger of the three children’s hospitals in Dublin into Children’s Health Ireland, which took effect on 1 January. Primary care enhancements include provision for funding for a new general practitioner, GP, contract should negotiations on it be successful, reduced prescription charges, reduced drug payment scheme charges from March, an increase in the GP visit card thresholds from March and the initiation of a programme of care redesign in line with Sláintecare.

The service plan emphasises the importance of strengthening clinical leadership, improving patient and service user engagement and advancing a culture of patient safety, continuous quality improvement and learning. To ensure meaningful and sustained improvement in the health service over the coming years, however, we also need to develop a major programme of reform. The new Sláintecare programme office has prepared a detailed action plan for 2019 as committed to in the Sláintecare implementation strategy and I expect it to be published shortly. A Sláintecare advisory council has also been established under the chairmanship of Dr. Tom Keane. These new structures will drive implementation of the reform programme.

Budget 2019 provides for more than €200 million directly to assist a range of initiatives proposed in the Sláintecare report and committed to in the implementation strategy. Work is also under way to establish a new HSE board to strengthen the management, governance and accountability of the HSE. Mr. Ciarán Devane has been nominated as chairperson-designate of the board.

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