Press release
Minister Harris announces independent review group to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health services
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD today announced the establishment of an independent review group to examine the role of voluntary organisations in the operation of health and personal social services in Ireland. Dr Catherine Day will chair the group, while Professor Jane Grimson and Professor Deirdre Madden have been appointed as members of the group.
The terms of reference provide for:
Minister Harris said:
“Voluntary and non-statutory providers, including religious and faith-based organisations, have made an enormous contribution to the provision of health and personal social services in Ireland over centuries. Their role in providing care to people, at a time when in many cases the State failed to do so, has led to the complex tapestry that is our current health system. The role played by these organisations, how they are organised and their arrangements with the State have changed over the years and we can expect further changes to emerge over time.”
The Minister continued:
“Recent debate has highlighted the differing and evolving views on the ownership and governance of publicly funded healthcare facilities. Given the scale of public investment, it is right that there is regular discourse and appropriate consideration of the role of these organisations within our healthcare system. I believe the time has come to put in place a process that will enable full consideration of these issues. This process will be separate and distinct from the intensive engagement underway with St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and the National Maternity Hospital which is seeking to address the specific issues that have arisen on that particular project in a more urgent way. The establishment of this review group will provide the space for an inclusive and respectful process of consideration and inform the development of policy over the medium term. I am very grateful to the distinguished members of the group for taking on this important and historic task.”
The Minister added:
“I want to be clear at the outset that I am not entering this process with any pre-conceived beliefs or views on what future arrangements should be, or how the relationship between the State and voluntary providers should develop. I truly want this process to openly and impartially identify and consider these issues. I would encourage all stakeholders and interested parties to contribute to this and to engage in the process in a positive and constructive way. The time is right to do this; now as a country let’s do it right.”
It is expected that the group will report to the Minister within a year.
ENDS
The Review Group shall examine and inquire into the current role and status of voluntary organisations in the operation of health and personal social services in Ireland, including religious and faith-based organisations, the strengths and weaknesses of this mode of service provision, the issues which arise in connection with the provision of services to the public through such organisations, and to make recommendations on how the relationship between the State and voluntary organisations in the arena of health and personal social services should evolve in the future.
In particular, the Review Group shall:
Dr Catherine Day
Dr Catherine Day graduated from UCD with a B.A. Economics and Politics in 1974, followed by a Masters in International Trade and Economic Integration in 1975. She also has Honorary Doctorates from UCD, University of Limerick and Griffith College Dublin.
She joined the European Commission in 1979 and held a number of senior positions before her appointment as Secretary General of the European Commission in 2005, in which capacity she served until her retirement in 2015.
Her current activities include:
Professor Jane Grimson
Professor Jane Grimson, a former Acting CEO and former Director of Health Information at HIQA, is a Pro-Chancellor at Trinity College Dublin. Prof Grimson is a graduate in Engineering from Trinity and has an MSc and PhD in Computer Science from the Universities of Toronto and Edinburgh, respectively. She took up the post of Lecturer in Computer Science in Trinity College in 1980 and was appointed to a personal chair in Health Informatics in 2003. She has published widely in the field of database systems and health informatics and has a particular interest in promoting the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in engineering and in research generally. She was awarded an honorary degree (Doctor of Laws) by NUI Galway in 2017 for services to Engineering and gender equality on higher education in Ireland. She currently chairs the Gender Equality Task Force at the NUI Galway.
Professor Deirdre Madden
Professor Deirdre Madden, School of Law, UCC (Medical Law, Company Law) has research interests and publications primarily in the area of medical law and ethics. She has a Master’s degree on surrogate motherhood and a PhD on the law relating to assisted reproduction. She was called to the Bar in 1989. Professor Madden was a member of the Medical Council from 2004 – 2013 and is a current member of the CORU, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council. She has been a member of a number of national expert groups related to medical law, ethics and patient safety, including the National Patient Safety Advisory Group, the National Advisory Committee on Bioethics, HIQA’s Research Advisory Group and the Expert Group on the Implementation of the ABC v Ireland judgement.