I propose to take Questions Nos. 2693 and 3316 to 3319, inclusive, together.
My Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE) are committed to delivering on the recommendations that were made for Public Health in the Crowe Horwath report. The report recognised the very important role that public health medicine plays in the health of our population and in how our health service is managed and delivered.
Our Public Health Specialists have been to the forefront of our response to the pandemic. They have made an enormous contribution to the protection of everybody living in Ireland. This pandemic has certainly highlighted that Public Health Medicine must be reformed and strengthened such that the skills and expertise which are unique to Public Health Physicians can be leveraged to ensure maximum return for the Irish health service and ultimately benefit and improve the health of the population as a whole.
An agreement was reached with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) earlier this year that will support the implementation of a fundamentally reformed consultant led public health model at a national and regional level which is aligned with international best practice.
Implementation of this agreement is now in progress and finalisation of the new operating model for Public Health is expected in the coming weeks. The new Model will be implemented by December 2023, with the establishment of 34 consultant posts in the first year and a total of 84 Consultant in Public Health Medicine posts by end December 2023. The phased nature of the implementation will facilitate the completion of a review process to ensure reform is embedded throughout the implementation process. Work is underway in order to begin recruitment of the first phase of posts as a priority.
