Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 April 2017
512. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied) with regard to the future direction of health care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16272/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government, the Oireachtas All-Party Committee on the Future of Healthcare was established in June 2016 to develop a single long term vision for healthcare over a 10 year period, with cross party support.
As the Deputy has stated, political consensus on the broad direction of health policy is crucial to delivering a real improvement in our health services. The Committee was established on this basis, and in a meeting with the Committee two weeks ago I reiterated my support for its work.
During the Committee’s previous public sessions, a number of people spoke about the issue of difficulties in implementation, and indeed the lack of implementation, of existing strategies and policies. Therefore, I believe that a strong implementation plan, well supported and properly resourced, and backed up with a genuine political and societal consensus to sustain it, is essential to making the necessary change happen. The benefit of a ten year horizon is that it provides a context for carefully planning the evolution of health services and structures so as to avoid unduly disrupting the primary focus on improving care delivery.
In relation to issues raised by the Deputy, it is worth noting that the Committee’s interim reports reference workstreams which include Funding Model, Resource Allocation, and Workforce Planning. Indeed the Committee’s Terms of Reference recognised “the need for consensus at political level on the health service funding model based on population health needs”.
As the Deputy will be aware, I had the opportunity to outline my views recently to the Committee on the future direction of the health service and a number of key priorities that I believe should underpin that future direction. As I expect to receive the final report and recommendations of the Committee later this month, I intend to await the outcome before moving ahead with changes in relation to system design, financing or governance.
