Mid-West hospitals move toward NHS-style trust

Six hospitals in the Mid-West have entered a single management regime in which both doctors and HSE officials will play lead roles.

The grouping of the hospitals — the Mid-West Regional, Regional Maternity, Croom Orthopaedic, Nenagh General, Ennis General at St John’s — moves them one step further down the road towards the establishment of a hospital trust.

The NHS-style trusts are part of Health Minister James Reilly’s plans for reform of the health service. The administrative groups will have a single budget, governance model, and a staff ceiling as part of plans to cut costs, high-level administration, and patient waiting times. Such a group already operates in Galway.