Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 February 2014
610. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Health if he will establish an independent review of the University of Limerick hospital group tasked with evaluating if a model three hospital is required in the network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6661/14]
View answerThe Government is committed to the transformation of public hospitals into independent, not for profit hospital trusts. As a first step in this process, seven hospital groups have been established, in line with the recommendations of The Establishment of Hospital Groups as a Transition to Independent Hospital Trusts (the Higgins report). The groups have now been established on a non-statutory basis.
Each group must develop, in the first year of their operation, a strategic plan for their future service configuration. These plans must describe how they will provide more efficient and effective patient services; how they will reorganise these services to provide optimal care to the populations they serve; and how they will achieve maximum integration and synergy with other groups and all other health services, particularly primary care and community care services. Decisions on the distribution of acute services between hospitals within a Group will be made in the context of the development of the strategic plan. A Strategic Advisory Group has been established to provide objective policy advice and expertise to the Department, HSE and hospital groups, and to oversee the establishment of hospital groups and the subsequent reorganisation of acute hospital services.
