The Health Act 2004 provided for the Health Service Executive, which was established on 1 January 2005. Under the Act, the executive has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. The national radiation oncology co-ordinating group provides advice to my Department and the Health Service Executive on radiotherapy, including transport arrangements. I understand the group will shortly write to the HSE on this matter.
Appropriate transport arrangements for patients requiring radiotherapy should be made available, where necessary, by the HSE. Accordingly, at my request, my Department has asked the director of the National Hospitals Office to examine the provision of transport on a national basis for such patients as a matter of priority.