Taoiseach seeks meeting with two members of Sláintecare group who resigned

Professor Tom Keane stepped down as chairman of the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he will be seeking a meeting with the two members of the Sláintecare management team who resigned this week “to get their perspective”.

For the last 12 months, the HSE had been absorbed by Covid, the country had come through that crisis, it had been “all hands on deck” while “huge resources” had been put into health, he told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland.

When asked about the previous recommendation that Sláintecare should come under the auspices of the Department of the Taoiseach, Mr Martin said that the Taoiseach's office did not have “the bandwidth” for such a programme.

Sláintecare would have the be “embedded” within the HSE too, he said.

The Government was prepared to double the resources to public health. He acknowledged that waiting lists were high, part of the reason for this was the pandemic and two lockdowns which had a “severe impact” on the health service.

Other aspects of Sláintecare had been delivered and significant changes had occurred, he said. It had been “a terrible year” for all working in the health service because of Covid and the cyber attack, added Mr Martin.

Meanwhile, members of the group appointed to advise on the implementation of Sláintecare said they are seeking a meeting with the health minister following the resignation of its chairman, Tom Keane.

Members of the Slaintecare Implementation Advisory Council want reassurances about commitment to the programme of healthcare reforms after Professor Keane stepped down on Wednesday, soon after the executive director of the Sláintecare programme office Laura Magahy resigned.

Sources close to the committee have expressed “dismay” at the resignations, and want reassurance that there is no question of the former chairman having been “stonewalled” in attempting to drive reform.

One source suggested that the slow rollout of the regional structures in the plan was a cause for concern on the 22-member advisory committee, but that the level of investment from the Government is not a problem at this stage. 

“All kinds of questions are being asked as to what exactly is going on and whether Laura Magahy and Tom Keane were being stonewalled,” the source says. “The timing is particularly worrying.” 

The departures came as one of the key elements of the plan, a new contract for hospital consultants, is entering a critical phase.

The Taoiseach said the Government remains committed to the principles of Sláintecare.

“We’ve invested very significantly since we came into Government over a year ago now, the investment has been unprecedented," he said.

“So I will meet with Tom Keane and Laura Magahy again and get their views.

"And I’d also talk obviously to the minister in relation to this, and we will talk to the HSE, because the Government is very clear in terms of its commitment to the principles and getting Sláintecare implemented.”