Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
2694. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Health the status of the establishment of regional health areas in line with recommendations in the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare Sláintecare Report 2017; the number of regional health areas have been established to date; the details of the organisational and management structures of the promised regional health areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38802/21]
View answerMar is eol don Teachta Connolly, the commitment to establish Regional Health Areas (RHAs) was first outlined in the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare Sláintecare Report (2017). The Programme for Government 2020 further outlines a commitment to bring forward detailed proposals on these six Regional Health Areas to enable delivery of local services for patients that are safe, of high quality, and fairly distributed across each of the agreed six new health and social care regions.
This commitment has been further affirmed in first Sláintecare Implementation Strategy (2018) and Action Plan (2019), and the most recent Sláintecare Action Plan (2021 – 2023). The latest HSE Corporate Plan (2021) also commits to progressing RHAs as does the Department of Health Statement of Strategy (2021-2023).
The government decision of July 2019 approved the geographies of six new Regional Health Areas. It also approved the development of a detailed business case and change management programme to implement these. Understandably, this work was paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Work to develop a business case for the establishment of the six Regional Health Areas recommenced in Q1 2021 and is currently progressing. This work is being coordinated across multiple units in the Department of Health. There has been engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this topic already this year. Consultations with other key stakeholders, including the HSE, patients and clinicians, are underway or planned. This consultative work will continue over the next several months.
