Donegal reorganisation continues as part of new regional health structure 

Interviews to appoint Integrated Healthcare Areas Managers (IHAs) within the HSE in the north west area have taken place with appointments expected in the coming weeks.

It forms part of the reorganisation of the new HSE West and North West region which will include Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo and Galway.

Cllr Ciaran Brogan, was told at the July meeting of the Regional Health Forum West that central to the ‘Sláintecare vision’ is the reorganisation of the HSE into six new health regions and a revised national structure which supports this model. 

While each region is responsible for providing both hospital and community care for the people in that area, the HSE will remain a single organisation, with six health regions. 

Requesting an updated report on the roll out of the new Saolta area he was told by Tony Canavan, the Regional Executive Officer of the HSE West and North West:

“The new regional structures will provide the organisational and aligned corporate and clinical governance arrangements to enable population-based planning, management, and delivery of integrated care for people within a region.  

“Work is ongoing to put in place the people, processes and structures required to make this transition.

Cllr Brogan was told that as part of the Regional Executive Management Team (EMT) “recruitment is currently underway for a number of regional director posts, including regional clinical directors, regional directors of people and regional directors of finance. The regional directors will be members of the EMT in each health region. They will report directly to the REOs (Regional Executive Officers).”

It is envisaged that HSE West North West EMT will include a Regional Clinical Director;

Regional Director of Planning & Performance; Regional Director for People; Regional Executive Nurse Midwife (RENM); Regional Director of Population & Public Health; IHA Managers; Regional Director of Finance; eHealth Director; Regional Director of Communications & Public Affairs; Regional Disability Lead and Office of the Regional Executive Officer

Integrated Healthcare Areas (IHAs) will be the substructures within each of the six new health regions. There will be 20 IHAs in total. They will serve a population of around 300,000 and will take account of local geographies, population size, needs and services.

IHAs will bring together both acute and community services as well as other non-HSE providers.  

“This will be crucial to supporting and enabling integrated care,” Mr Canavan added..

The regions remain under the governance of the HSE Board and the HSE continues to be responsible for standards and guidelines.