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'Reforms will help fight MRSA'

[Posted: Thu 16/06/2005 - www.irishhealth.com]

By Niall Hunter-Editor

New unified administrative health structures, which have finally been put into place this week, will assist in combating MRSA in hospitals and will help ensure higher standards in nursing homes, according to the Health Service Executive.

The health service is now operating on a truly national and unified basis, according to the HSE.

It says this will allow it to deliver healthcare services comprehensively and on an equal footing regardless of geographic location.

Yesterday marked the full and final transition from the former structure of 11 health boards to a single, unified national service.

According to the HSE, the work done to date has of necessity focused on reorganisation, which was necessary to give the HSE the platform from which it can move forward.

Interim HSE CEO Kevin Kelly

The HSE says it is now at a point where it believes that it has created an environment where real reform can now begin; reform based on the actions of the thousands of individuals who will deliver this change, said interim HSE CEO Mr Kevin Kelly,

The announcement of the unified structure comes as it was confirmed that Prof Brendan Drumm will, after all, betaking up the CEO post in the HSE. He will be taking up duty on August 15.

Services to patients will be provided by three national directorates- the National Hospitals Office (NHO); the Primary,Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) Directorate and the Population Health Directorate.

The National Hospitals Office will coordinate all hospitals through 10 hospital networks. According to Mr Pat Mc Loughlin, Director of the NHO, acute hospitals will now operate as a grid-inderdependent and cohesive- as opposed to the previous system of independent 'islands' competing with each other.

"For example, if we look at the current concerns about MRSA within our hospitals, the NHPO is carrying out a nationwide hygiene audit of all our hospitals", Mr Mc Loughlin said.

"Where previously, standards may have depended on the approach of a particular health board, we can now ensure that every single hospital in the country will share, and meet, the same high standard of cleanliness," he added.

Aidan Browne, head of the PCCC directorate, said under the PCCC, people will have their own local health services tailored to their own neighbourhood's needs, while at the same time these services will be guided by consistent and equitable national standards.

"For example, we are currently reviewing our whole nursing home inspection system to ensure a nationwide consistent approach which will meet best practice," Mr Browne said.

The new HSE structures will also involve four regional health offices (RHOs) which will, according to the HSE, focus on tracking local patient and client experiences on behalf of the new national body.

The RHOs will support regional health forums involving local politicians and will facilitate each forum in making representations on the range and operation of local health and personal social services.

There will also be 32 local health offices, based around each county area.

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  Anonymous   Posted: 16/06/2005 19:37
Can anyone tell me how many administrators are involved in the new HSE as opposed to the old Health Boards?
 
 
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