Under the Interim Health Service Executive (Establishment) Order 2004, the interim health service executive, iHSE, has the responsibility to devise a plan for the establishment of a national unified structure for the delivery of health services, and the integration of the management, administrative and service delivery structures of health boards.
The matter referred to is primarily for the board of the iHSE in its task of preparing a plan to manage the health service from January 2005, when it is proposed that the health service executive, HSE, will be formally established.
In developing this plan, it is important that staff are clear on their roles and responsibilities, and the locations in which people work. The board of the iHSE has confirmed that the plan for the smooth transition is well developed and that briefing sessions with large numbers of health board staff commenced on Tuesday, 9 November. The first briefing session was with the health board chief executive officers, and this was followed by a briefing with the Health Service National Partnership Forum, which is a joint management union forum designed to develop workplace partnership. The briefings will continue in the new regional centres next week. On Wednesday, 17 November, a briefing session for staff will take place in Galway for those health board staff who will be part of the new western region. This includes the staff of the current North Western Health Board.
The board of the iHSE has consistently said that January will not involve a big bang implementation but rather the start of the transition to the new structure. In this regard, the vast majority of staff will see no major change in their current responsibilities and duties, or in their work locations. For those staff who are affected, consultation will take place on the impact of the changes.
The board of the iHSE has assured me that the plan has been devised to ensure that existing levels of service are maintained. The current health board chief executive officers have been invited to stay on for a period of approximately six months in 2005 after they cease their current roles to assist in handling the transfer of accountability and to ensure a safe transition to the new structure. They will report directly to the chairman of the board of the HSE.
The iHSE and my Department are currently in negotiation with the staff representative organisations about the implications of the design for health service staff. These negotiations remain ongoing.
