Written answers

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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405. To ask the Minister for Health the steps being taken to ensure that all hospitals, but especially voluntary hospitals, have followed the good governance guidelines set down in the Health Information and Quality Authority report into governance in Tallaght Hospital; and the hospitals that have changed their governance structure as a result. [51479/13]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Report into quality, safety and governance at Tallaght Hospital is an important element in driving the Health Reform Programme which is focusing on and prioritising patient safety and best governance.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) established an Implementation Oversight Group to progress the recommendations of the Report of the Investigation into the quality, safety and governance of the care provided by the Adelaide and Meath Hospital incorporating the National Children's Hospital (AMNCH) for patients who require acute admission. The Group has worked closely my Department to progress the necessary actions to implement the report recommendations. The HSE prioritised those recommendations which relate directly to the safe care of their patients. In July 2013, the HSE published an interim report on the progress on implementation. As set out in that interim report, in moving to the next stage of implementation, the HSE is widening its approach to address a range of governance issues including the structure, membership, codes of practice, management arrangements and performance management process for hospital groups; management and performance management of non-acute services; and performance management of funded services that can be achieved through the existing service arrangements.

The HIQA report and the Higgins report, 'the Establishment of Hospital Groups as a Transition to Independent Hospital Trusts’ provide a template for hospital governance which will be the foundation for the governance of the new hospital groups. I am establishing a Strategic Advisory Group to oversee the implementation of hospital groups and to ensure that international best practice feeds into the implementation of hospital groups, particularly in relation to developing trends in acute health care service provision and governance. It is acknowledged that there is a need to review the Board membership provisions of the statutory hospital boards and my Department intends to progress legislative amendments as part of the work underway on governance. In the interim appointments will continue to be made in line with current legislation.

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