A NEW Eastern Regional Health Authority is to replace the Eastern Health Board. Making the announcement yesterday the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, said he expected the new body to be in place by January 1999. It will have responsibility for the funding of all health and personal social services, both statutory and voluntary, in counties Dublin, Kildare, and Wicklow.
At present the hulk of general hospital services, including those run by religious, and of the mental handicap provision in the Eastern Health Board (EHB) region, are funded directly by the Department of Health and do not have any formal links with the EHB. These will now come under the responsibility of the new authority.
Public representatives will hold a majority number of seats on the authority, with councillors nominated from Dublin Corporation, the three Dublin county councils, and from the county councils in Kildare and Wicklow. Also on the authority will be representatives from the region's voluntary hospitals, mental handicap agencies, and other voluntary agencies.
Mr Noonan said yesterday he did not anticipate any problems from hospitals anxious to preserve their unique ethos, with his reorganisation plans. Negotiations with the relevant church run hospitals had begun.
The new authority will have responsibility for finance, industrial relations, personnel and policy, Mr Noonan said, but "the delivery of services" will be the responsibility of three area health councils, each of which will have an area manager, who will report to the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Eastern Regional Authority.
The exact boundaries of these new area health councils have yet to be agreed. Provisionally they will include the Northern Area Health Council (population 405,000), which will cover the northside of Dublin, Fingal county, north Kildare, the Mater, Beaumont, Blanchardstown and Rotunda hospitals. The South Western Area Health Council (population 490,000) will cover the south west of Dublin city, south Dublin county, south Kill dare, west Wicklow, St James's, Tallaght and Naas hospitals, and the Coombe. The South Eastern Area Health Council (population 352,000) will cover the south east of Dublin city, Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown county and east Wicklow, St Vincent's, St Columcille's (Loughlinstown), St Michael's (Dun Laoghaire), and the National Maternity Hospital.
Members of the three area health councils will be drawn from relevant members of the regional authority. For instance, Fingal county councillors on the Eastern Regional Authority would also sit on the Northern Area Health Council, as well as representatives of local voluntary hospitals/handicap agencies/etc.
Mr Noonan also announced he intends setting up a task force to oversee the implementation of his reorganisation proposals. It will produce an interim report by next June 30th and be led by Mr Donal O'Shea, currently CEO with the North Western and North Eastern Health Boards. He will continue as CEO of the North Eastern Health Board.
The other task force members will include four from assistant secretary level at the Department of Health, the acting CEO of the EHB, a representative of the voluntary hospitals and a representative of the voluntary mental handicap agencies. Mr Noonan also intends appointing a further two people to the task force, who will represent the views of business and community interests.
Once everything is in place the restructuring will be put on a statutory footing, Mr Noonan said.
The Minister also announced he was establishing an office to "immediately" begin implementing recommendations for a management development strategy in the health and personal social services areas. The office will be headed by Mr Denis Doherty, at present CEO with the Mid Western and Midland Health Boards. His new office will involve consultation with a view to providing a more flexible, varied and effective management structure in the health services.
