Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 May 2004
173 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children the action taken by his Department on each recommendation of the PA consultancy report on the implementation of the strategic management initiative. [15028/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July 2001, PA Consulting Group was commissioned by the Department of the Taoiseach to review progress achieved under the strategic management initiative, SMI. The terms of reference included recommendations for future actions.
The Deputy will be aware that all Departments have prepared detailed reports on their modernisation programmes, which were informed by the PA evaluation, for the Civil Service Performance Verification Group, CSPVG. The reports prepared for the CSPVG in relation to the payments made on 1 January 2004 are available on the Department of Finance website. The Department of Finance intends to publish the most recent round of progress reports following a decision by the CSPVG in respect of 1 July payments.
I take this opportunity to highlight some of my Department's priorities in this area. My greatest priority, and one which is supported by the modernisation initiative, is the implementation of the health service reform programme. The reform programme includes the re-organisation of the Department of Health and Children to ensure improved policy development and monitoring. The core elements of public service modernisation, customer service, strategic HR, effective regulation and financial reforms are all key building blocks to achieving the effective implementation of the reform programme, including the restructuring of the Department.
Human resource management was one of the components of the modernisation agenda which the PA evaluation identified as requiring further development. My Department has, over the last few months, focused its attention on developing a human resource strategy as part of the support framework for the modernisation agenda and the health service reform programme. The strategy will see a greater devolution of day-to-day resource management to line managers, supported by the ongoing development of specific policies on key issues and refocusing of existing human resources towards a more strategic-developmental approach. In tandem with the strategy, associated documents have been developed on mobility and time attendance. A key role of HR will be to support the organisation in building capacity and upskilling through training and development, planned mobility and competition promotion procedures.
The performance management and development system, PMDS, is now fully embedded throughout the Department. A survey of staff was carried out in December 2002 following which an action plan was designed to improve the environment in which PMDS is operational and to make it more effective. New guidelines have also issued to improve PMDS management at unit level. The next phase of PMDS, upward feedback, is being introduced in my Department this year and indications are that this initiative is being fully supported by both managers and job holders. The success of PMDS has resulted in a highly focused and targeted approach to training. A wide range of training opportunities have been availed of by staff including specific management development training.
The Department published its strategy statement for 2003 to 2005 in May 2003. The high level objectives of the strategy statement drive the business planning process within the Department including PMDS. Business planning meetings for each division ensure that the linkages are clear to all staff. Regular review by the management advisory committee, MAC, is an inherent part of the business planning process. I regularly attend MAC meetings along with my colleagues. This commitment is, in my view, essential for the effective management of the Department. Quality customer service is one area where my Department has made considerable progress. A customer charter has been completed and will be published shortly. Lunchtime opening was introduced in the General Register Office last November and has been a great success.
Implementation of the e-government agenda has also been given priority. The Department's website is being redesigned following an on-line survey of customers and staff. Computerised facilities for searching and the production of birth, death and marriage certificates are now available in every health board since April 2004 and are being extended to every registrar's office in the country. Rollout of the on-line registration of births and deaths is expected to be complete by the end of June.
A service to relay notification of deaths commenced in March 2004. This allows the transfer of information on deaths via REACH to other Departments and agencies. The service has benefits for the effective and efficient delivery of public services generally and will also result in greater customer convenience. It will be of particular benefit once on-line registration of deaths is available throughout the country in June 2004. The service is already in use by the Department of Social and Family Affairs for adjusting pension and other social welfare entitlements. It is planned to introduce an on-line applications system with a secure credit card facility for birth, death and marriage certificates as part of the launch of REACH services later this year.
The Irish health portal was launched on 6 May at the EU eHealth Conference which I hosted, "Supporting the European Citizen through eHealth". The portal will provide a "front end" for citizens and professionals to access health information and services. Implementation of the management information framework within the Department is under way. Suppliers of the new financial system have been selected and testing of the software will commence in May. Changeover to the new system is scheduled for October 2004. As the Deputy is aware, the wider health delivery system has always operated on the basis of full accrual accounting principles, which is supported by a broad management information framework.
The developments referred to above represent a summary of some of the progress my Department has made since the PA evaluation was published in 2002. As stated at the start of my reply, these and other targets are referred to in greater detail in the action plan and progress reports submitted by my Department to the CSPVG.
