Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
85 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the progress made to date with regard to the implementation of the recommendations of the Brennan report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26314/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe health service reform programme announced by the Government in June 2003 is primarily based on the recommendations of the commission on financial management and control systems in the health service, the Brennan report, and the audit of structures and functions in the health system, the Prospectus report, together with the report of the national taskforce on medical staffing, the Hanly report. Work is well advanced on the implementation of the Brennan report as part of the overall health service reform programme.
A number of key bodies central to the reform programme are now in place and working to advance the implementation of the reform programme. The national steering committee, which I chair, is overseeing the implementation of the work programme. The Cabinet committee on health, chaired by the Taoiseach, ensures that the Government is kept fully informed on all important issues.
The health service reform programme will consolidate the multiplicity of different structures within a single agency, the Health Service Executive, HSE. I propose to submit a new Health Bill to Government shortly which will deal with the establishment of the HSE.
On 26 November 2003 the Minister for Health and Children announced the establishment of the interim board of the Health Service Executive. The interim HSE was established as a statutory body on foot of SI 90/04 on 9 March 2004. Under the establishment order, the interim HSE has been given the task of drawing up a plan for the transition to a unitary delivery system. The interim executive has also been given the task of making the necessary preparations to implement this plan, subject to ministerial approval, so as to ensure as smooth a transition as possible from the existing management, administrative and service delivery structures of the health boards to the new health service executive structure.
Thirteen action projects which were put in place to develop specific aspects of the reforms, reported on schedule in December 2003. A composite report collating individual action committee reports was prepared and disseminated.
The Health (Amendment) Act 2004, which provided for the abolition of the membership of the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards was commenced on 15 June. The Act also repealed the provisions providing for the appointment of members to the Eastern Regional Health Authority, area health boards and health boards. The enormous and complex nature of the reforms requires work across the whole spectrum of organisational change. Significant work is continuing on a broad number of fronts including: the interim Health Service Executive has announced the appointment of Professor Aidan Halligan as the first chief executive officer of the HSE and arrangements to recruit other senior management of the HSE are well advanced; a draft revised organisation design for the restructured Department of Health and Children has been completed; my Department and the interim HSE financial transition team are working on appropriate transition arrangements to lay the groundwork for the implementation of a number of the recommendations of the Brennan report; health boards have recently submitted draft service plans to the interim HSE to facilitate the drafting of the national service plan for 2005 - this, with associated performance indicators, will help provide a robust monitoring and evaluation framework; work on a broad range of human resource and industrial relations matters is continuing through the agreed structures; Mr. Pat McGrath, group managing director of the project management group, was appointed as the chairperson of the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, on 28 September. I will be announcing the board of HIQA in the near future; work is progressing in relation to agencies designated for streamlining into the HSE in the short term. The interim HSE has been liaising closely on the matter with the agencies concerned, namely, the Health Boards Executive, the Health Service Employers Agency, the Office for Health Management, Comhairle na nOspidéal, the National Disease Surveillance Centre and the GMS (Payments) Board; the boundaries of the HSE's four primary, community and continuing care regions were announced on 28 September; and work is well advanced on drafting an interim code of governance for the health service.
The new arrangements will provide a stronger national focus for the management and delivery of health and personal social services. The implementation of the reform programme will result in a less fragmented and more accountable system, as envisaged by the Brennan report.
