Written answers

Thursday, 28 June 2018

Department of Health

Health Services Reports

Photo of Stephen DonnellyStephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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49. To ask the Minister for Health when a Sláintecare implementation plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28312/18]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The successful delivery of the ambitious reform plans envisaged in the Sláintecare report will be a significant undertaking and needs to be translated into a detailed and phased programme of work to be delivered over a ten year timeframe. In this regard, my Department is currently finalising an implementation plan in response to the Sláintecare report, with a focus on the initial three year period.  It is my intention to bring proposals to Government before the summer recess and to publish the implementation plan shortly thereafter. While I accept that this is later than originally envisaged, it is important that we get it right. 

I have already acted on several of the specific recommendations proposed in the Sláintecare report. A Sláintecare Programme Office is being established in the Department of Health and a provision of €1 million was made available for the Office in Budget 2018. This office will be tasked with implementing a programme of reform, as agreed by Government, arising from the Sláintecare Report. The process for the appointment of an Executive Director to lead the Sláintecare Programme Office has been managed independently by the Public Appointments Service. This has been a thorough process involving a national and international executive search. An appointment will be made shortly.

An independent board for the HSE is being established as recommended in the Sláintecare report. The General Scheme of a Bill has been published and it is hoped that legislation will be enacted this year.

The Sláintecare Report recommended the removal of private practice from public hospitals. I have established an Independent Review Group to examine how private practice can be removed from public hospitals. It will report later this year.

A public consultation on the geographical alignment of Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations has recently been completed and responses are being analysed. This will inform work on broader health service structural reform as recommended in the Sláintecare report.

Finally, the Government has demonstrated significant commitment to invest in our health and social care services since the publication of the Sláintecare report. Funding for new initiatives in Budget 2018 were closely aligned with proposals in Sláintecare. In addition, funding of €10.9 billion has been earmarked for health projects in the National Development Plan. This will include the development of primary care centres, community diagnostics, community care beds and additional acute hospital capacity, including three elective facilities.

This is the first time in the history of the State that cross-party consensus of this scale has been achieved on health policy and I welcome this. I intend to harness the consensus generated by the Report to move forward with a significant programme of health reform. The Government is committed to making tangible improvements in our health service and the Sláintecare Report provides the direction of travel for this.

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