Poisoned chalice: The challenges facing ministers in health, mental health, and disability
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Fine Gael, being appointed to Cabinet by President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin. Picture: Leon Farrell
The health portfolio has previously been dubbed a 'poisoned chalice' — so what are the challenges facing the new ministers in health, mental health, and disability?
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, TD for Dun Laoghaire steps into the health minister’s role.
There have been some questions raised about having another politician from the east in this post, following two Wicklow TDs Stephen Donnelly and Simon Harris — and before that Leo Varadkar from Dublin.
Ms Carroll MacNeill will need to tune into the gaps in healthcare for Cork, Limerick, and Galway, for example.
Limerick has seen a boost in funding and investment through efforts to address decades of neglect, but will that continue?
Nationally, more than 550,000 people are waiting for their first outpatient appointment with many gaps in infrastructure needed to be filled to reduce that.
Pledges to build elective hospitals for Cork and Galway have only slowly progressed.
Surgical hubs promised for Munster to open and reduce overcrowding by last summer will now open on a phased basis starting in the summer of 2026 instead.
Looming over all of this is the new Children’s Hospital with costs estimated at €2.2bn.
The latest completion date for construction is now June, so could Ms Carroll MacNeill be the minister to cut the opening ribbon?
Less high-profile openings have continued in community care including new post-natal maternity hubs in places like Listowel.
The minister will be expected to keep this momentum going.
She could, however, face widespread strikes linked to pay and staffing disputes.
The free contraception scheme is now seeing women from 17 to 35 benefit but plans for free HRT products from this month have not been rolled out.
A new national framework for endometriosis care seems to have stalled, leaving thousands waiting in pain despite progress in opening new clinics.
An inquiry has opened into the historic prescribing of valproate to pregnant women.
Findings from this could prove difficult for the minister, with families calling for compensation.
Mary Butler has retained the minister of state position with responsibility for mental health.
There has been disquiet already that she also holds the busy post of chief whip.
Psychotherapist Richard Horgan recently wrote in this newspaper of families’ “harrowing stories of shambolic care in the midst of mental health crisis” linked to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs).
The Mental Health Commission published a damning report on services in 2023 but limited progress appears to have been made on its recommendations.
It had also called for the Mental Health Bill to be enacted.
This was, however, one of the pieces of legislation dropped by the wayside under the last government.
Ms Butler will also be expected to continue developing supports for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Adult waiting lists are growing while innovative new clinics such as in Ballincollig in Cork need to be rolled out further.
Norma Foley is now minister at the newly-named Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
She is supported by Hildegarde Naughton as minister of state attending cabinet with responsibility for disability.
Enable Ireland CEO John O’Sullivan has said new ministers already have a blueprint for action in the Action Plan for Disability Service 2024-2026 and Disability Capacity Review to 2032.
“Between those two pieces of work, there is a clear pathway on what needs to be done,” he said.
Adults living with disabilities and parents of young children on long waiting lists for therapies, education, and all sorts of services will be watching.
They could also face potential strike action.
These portfolios are certainly ones where politicians can make a difference to people’s lives in a very real way.
A minister of state for older people is expected to be announced next week.
The question is now, how effectively will they take on that challenge?
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