Concern raised over Sláintecare draft plan

Members of the Joint Oireachtas Health Committee have expressed concern that the Department of Health is devising a draft plan to implement Sláintecare without any input from the yet-to-be-appointed head of the Sláintecare implementation office.

Health Minister Simon Harris told the committee yesterday that some of the timeframes in Sláintecare , a 10-year blueprint to reform the health service, were “somewhat unworkable”.

He said it was “always a bit of a stretch” that they would have had a lead executive in place by the recommended July 2017 deadline, but that he wanted to “assure” the committee that the appointment would be made as soon as possible.