Impact slams failed health action plans

James Reilly, the health minister, has been accused of failing to implement 18 of 20 actions on health reform which were due to be in place by April, Impact trade union has claimed.

A “scorecard” produced by the union yesterday at its health and welfare divisional conference in Portlaoise, said 12 out of 20 actions promised by the end of March have yet to be implemented, another six came late, while just two were implemented on time.

It said: “The missed implementation dates relate to measures necessary to facilitate the introduction of universal health insurance by 2016. They include steps towards the creation of new hospital groups and primary care structures, the assessment of the role of local hospitals, the development of new approaches to staff planning and succession, and the establishment of new financial management systems to enable ‘money to follow patients’.”