*Lissycasey native Alma Kelly.
HEALTH MINISTER, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG) has announced the make-up of the Mid-West Health Planning Board.
Former Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the Glen Dimplex Group, Seán O’Driscoll has been appointed as Chair of the Mid West Health Planning Board.
Minister Carroll MacNeill in March when announcing plans for a new hospital for the Mid-West which is to be located in Limerick, also outlined her intention to create a new planning board to develop a plan for healthcare services for the region including investment in Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals. The group will also be tasked with discussing issues like the number of beds and timeline for the new hospital development.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Minister said the board will provide strategic direction and oversight on the development of a Mid-West Service and Infrastructure Plan for the region.
O’Driscoll will serve as Chair but the Board does have Clare representation. Dr Terry Hennessy, former Clinical Director of Ennis Hospital resides in Co Clare and will offer his insights to the group. Lissycasey native Alma Kelly, a consultant in the construction and engineering group for legal firm Arthur Cox has been appointed to the board. Alma is the daughter of the late PJ, one of Clare’s most distinguished politicians. Lahinch based John Wall will serve as Patient & Service User Council Representative on the board.
Membership of the Board also consists of Sheila McGuinness (HSE National Services), Joe Hoare (HSE National Director: Capital Delivery), Dr Sean Fleming (HSE National Clinical Lead, Acute Medicine Programme), Des Carville (Financing and Capital Markets Expertise), Professor James Paul O’Neill (Consultant Clinician Otolaryngology Surgeon), Mairead Greene (Director of Nursing Older Persons), Patricia O’Gorman (Regional Nurse Lead), Dr. Catherine Peters (Regional Clinical Director) and Sandra Broderick (Regional Executive Officer).
The Board will focus on how services can be organised across hospital, community, primary care, and pre-hospital services. This includes looking at how care can be provided closer to home, where appropriate, how pressure on University Hospital Limerick (UHL) can be reduced, and how existing and future locations can best work together for the whole region. The Board is charged with overseeing the development of a credible roadmap for safe, accessible and sustainable healthcare in the Mid-West, ensuring that decisions are informed by evidence, with regional input, and the needs of patients and communities.
The Health Planning Board will build on work already underway across the region, including the expansion of bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick, the acquisition of the Raheen site, and the ongoing implementation of the Government’s blended approach to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) recommendations. The Board will begin its work in September and finalise the delivery of the Service and Infrastructure Plan for the Mid-West within nine months. Following the publication of the Plan, the HSE will develop and deliver on an implementation plan to advance the work of the Health Planning Board.
Following the announcement, Minister Carroll MacNeill stated, “People in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary need a long-term solution for improved healthcare – quality care close to home – that meets the needs of the people of the region, irrespective of their geography. We had a positive development with the purchase of the site at Raheen in March of this year and today’s announcement is the next step in our work to bring care closer to home for the people and patients of the region”.
She added, “I know how important the establishment of the Mid West Health Planning Board is for patients, staff and families in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary. People in the Mid West have waited too long for the improvements that are needed and they rightly expect to see real progress. This is a huge opportunity to be ambitious for the patients and for the future of healthcare development in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Clare TD Timmy Dooley (FF) said Clare wouldn’t be forgotten due to the personnel appointed. “I’m very pleased with the team assigned, they are highly skilled and professional, it is the board led by Seán O’Driscoll that has capacity to move ahead, there has been a lot of talk about this for a long period of time, the talking has to come to an end, it is about delivery and building a facility that meets the needs and expectations of not just current population but that of the future with growth projections and I’m happy to work with this board and other representatives to ensure facilities meet the needs of the wider community”.
Dooley added, “This is only a step towards the resolution of issues for the Mid-West, we need to see continued investment in Ennis, we need to see the promised beds delivered and more activity take place there so Ennis is fit for purpose and has its needs met. It is very positive to have someone with the skills of Terry Hennessy, his understanding of the medical needs and the wider region, he lives West of Ennis. Alma Kelly has an innate sense of what is needed in West Clare and her legal expertise is a welcome addition to the hospital board. John Wall is a Cork man living in Clare, he understands the patient’s needs. The voice of Clare people and our patients are well represented on this board”.
