New HSE health regions plan: Will it really deliver much-needed healthcare reform?

How health and social care responds to population changes must be a key priority of health regions.

On the final day of July, the Department of Health published the HSE health regions implementation plan. The rollout commences in February 2024 and significantly changes the delivery of our health and social care system.

But does it really? The plan, on first look, screams the return of the health boards structures established under the 1970 Health Act. Initially, eight health boards were established before increasing to 11 in 1999.