Officials from the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform (DPENDR) raised concerns over the “complexity” of the HSE’s governance structure.
The discussion arose at the health budget oversight group (HBOG) meeting in December. The HSE, the Department of Health, and DPENDR are members of the HBOG.
According to meeting minutes, a presentation was delivered by DPENDR on the area of governance. The presentation focused on the “key principles” of good governance in line with international best practice, whilst also presenting an understanding of the existing governance structure within the HSE.
Following the presentation, a discussion took place on what the DPENDR referred to as the “complexity of the governance structure” within the HSE.
The DPENDR noted that the existing structure has several layers. “This could negatively affect the communication of targets to hospital managers as well as the escalation processes in the HSE.”
This discussion occurred in the context of the creation of six health regions, which have replaced hospital groups and community healthcare organisations. This process began in March 2024. The HSE is still a single organisation, but with six regions. The HSE continues to be responsible for standards and guidelines. However, each region has its own budget, leadership team, and responsibility for local decision-making.
According to the HBOG meeting minutes, the HSE said it expected that the new regionalised structure would have “a positive impact on transparency and accountability”, with the six regional executive officers (REOs) sitting on a senior leadership team led by the HSE CEO.
“Each REO will be held to account in line with the terms of a signed performance agreement between them and the CEO.”
A comment on DPENDR’s concerns was awaited from the HSE at press time.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.