Future of Healthcare Committee publishes interim report as it moves to next phase of work

The Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare has today, Thursday, 19 January 2016 published its interim report detailing the considerable volume of evidence to date and a strong consensus in a number of key areas.

Among the themes emerging from submissions and evidence provided to the Committee are:

•  Broad support for the delivery of services based on need and not on ability to pay.

•  Overwhelming consensus on the critical importance of health promotion and prevention of ill-health in the interest both of improved public health and financial sustainability.

• Further strong consensus on the fundamental role of primary care in managing the vast majority of care needs, and a recognition that primary and community services must be in place and able to deliver in order to bring about a decisive shift away from our current hospital-centric system.

• The need to ensure the patient’s different care needs are met in an integrated way as they move from primary care to the hospital and perhaps on to community care.

• Widespread agreement on the role of an electronic health record as a critical enabler for integrated care.

• The requirement to address challenges in recruitment and retention of qualified staff, which is fundamentally linked to capacity.

• A desire to see clear clinical and managerial accountability and governance, and increased provision for frontline decision-making.

Over the coming weeks, the Committee will as engage in further detailed consideration of these issues as it moves towards completion of its final report by 28 April 2017.

To date the Committee has held 15 formal meetings – both in public and private - and has heard from 20 groups, experts and individuals. In total, it has received more than 150 submissions.

In addition to this, the Committee participated in a number of technical briefings in private session, with Director General of the HSE, Secretary General of the Department of Health, health economists from the ESRI, the Adelaide Health Foundation, and management consultant Eddie Molloy.

Chair of the Committee, Roisin Shortall, said: “We recognise that there are complex issues involved in devising a long-term strategy for a universal single-tier health service in this country. Therefore, it was important that the committee sought submission and heard from a wide variety of interested representative bodies, individuals and groupings.

“These witnesses representing various stakeholders, along with national and international experts, have brought a wide range of perspectives to bear on the Committee’s comprehensive examination of the issues affecting the health system.

“The public hearings, along with submissions received, were detailed and thought-provoking. The Committee is currently working on bringing together all of the presentations, submissions and documentation received to help prepare it in its work of achieving cross-party consensus on a ten year strategy for health and social care policy in Ireland. The process is evidence-based as well as consultative and the Committee is also taking account of existing research and analysis.

“Additionally, the Committee has engaged with a team of health academics from the Centre for Health Policy and Management in Trinity College Dublin, holding three workshops with them in late November and early December to further explore the issues.

“While analysis of the submissions is continuing and the Committee engages in its own deliberations, it is clear at this stage that there are some significant areas of consensus. These include in particular the need for integrated care, and for the reorientation of services towards primary care. The Committee is also mindful that many of the issues facing the Irish health system are not unique, and that other health systems are also grappling with the challenges of ageing populations, rising incidence of chronic disease, the need to ensure equity of access, and financial constraints. Hence it considers that it is essential to take account of international perspectives, including the work of the WHO and others. It is not the intention to import ready-made solutions, but to reflect on international best practice and knowledge while developing the vision and direction for the Irish context.”

Access the interim report here.