We are currently transitioning to the new health regions structure. This page provides the latest information about the changes happening throughout the year.
In this latest update, we share progress on:
Structure of health regions
Regional Executive Officers
Regional Executive Officers (REOs) are accountable and responsible for the operational service delivery within their respective regions. They report directly to the CEO.
All 6 REOs are now in place and have assumed responsibility for their regions.
The REOs are:
- Sara Long, REO, HSE Dublin and North East
- Kate Killeen White, REO, HSE Dublin and Midlands
- Martina Queally, REO, HSE Dublin and South East
- Sandra Broderick, REO, HSE Mid West
- Dr Andy Phillips, REO, HSE South West
- Tony Canavan, REO, HSE West and North West
Learn more about the REOs for the 6 health regions
HSE Centre
Senior Leadership Team
The HSE Centre will operate as the HSE's governing body, with a newly-defined relationship with the health regions. The purpose of the HSE Centre will be to support health regions, in fulfilling the functions of Planning, Enablement, Performance and Assurance (PEPA).
The HSE Senior Leadership Team will include the 6 Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and national directors for the following areas:
- National services and schemes
- Access and integration
- Clinical
- People
- Finance
- Technology and transformation
- Communications and public affairs
- Strategic infrastructure and capital delivery
- Internal audit
Recruitment is ongoing for 2 national director roles; access and integration and strategic infrastructure and capital delivery. National directors have been appointed for all of the other areas.
New HSE Centre structure with appointed national directors (PDF, 112 KB, 1 page)
CEO memo about HSE Centre changes issued on 9 February 2024 (PDF, 170 KB, 7 pages)
Transition to the new health region structure
We are currently in a transition period in the move to the new structures both at the HSE centre and health regions. During this time, it is important that current systems will remain in place to ensure safe transition and to maintain services.
The target date for full completion of the following changes in structures and assignments is 30 September 2024.
The health regions team is working with colleagues from various teams to design how functions and roles will operate and transition to the new structures. This process is ongoing.
The Health Region Programme Steering Group meets monthly to oversee and support the transition to, and implementation of, health regions. The group membership includes:
- REOs
- national directors
- patient and service user representatives
- representatives from partner and voluntary agencies
Integrated care
The new health regions’ structures will support and strengthen integrated care. This includes integration between:
- primary care and community services including GPs, pharmacy and voluntary organisations and across community service divisions
- acute hospitals and community services
- the HSE and wider public service organisations such as local authorities
While structural change alone will not deliver integrated care, it will clarify roles and responsibilities at all levels of the organisation and create the conditions for more integrated working.
Learn more about why we’re integrating health and social care services
Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) model
The health regions programme team are developing an ISD model to support integrated care in the health regions. This means designing the structures below the health region Executive Management Team (EMT).
In 2023, an ISD workstream made up of health and social care service representatives, patients and service users and voluntary organisations was set up. The group carried out extensive stakeholder engagement leading to the development of structural options for Integrated Healthcare Areas (IHAs). A detailed appraisal process was completed and an IHA structure was agreed.
View the high-level IHA structure
IHAs will be the substructures within each health region. They will serve a population of around 300,000 and will take account of local geographies, population size, needs and services. It will bring together both acute and community services which will be crucial to supporting and enabling integrated care.
The ISD workstream used the Health Services Change Guide as the foundation for the design process. This process was also informed by the International Foundation for Integrated Care’s 9 pillars of integrated care.
The Health Regions programme team were invited to present work to date on the co-design process at the International Conference on Integrated Care in Belfast in April 2024. The team received the best poster award for their presentation on the design work undertaken in 2023.
View the Health Regions programme team's poster (PDF, 1.64 MB, 1 page)
The team has started to progress the detailed design of the ISD model for health regions and IHAs. This will include structures, processes and ways of working, and will build on the design work undertaken in 2023 and involve engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. The HSE Change Guide will continue to inform this co-design work.
People
People transition planning
HR will lead on people transition activities. They will also provide guidance to health regions and the HSE Centre throughout the period of transition.
Many staff will have questions about when changes will happen, why they are happening and who will be affected.
National HR has developed a staff ‘Q and A’ document to address questions about the transition to health regions.
HR will continue to engage directly with staff and their representative organisations through each stage of the process.
Staff transition arrangements
For a large percentage of staff, there will be no significant change as we transition to health regions apart from perhaps a change in the person to whom they report. It is important to note the reform programme is not an attempt to downsize the HSE. There will be a meaningful role for everyone in the new structures.
Safe transitioning will require a phased approach over the coming months to maintain services, both at HSE Centre and across the health regions.
Phase 1 (before 1 June 2024) involves mapping all roles and activities from the current structure to the new HSE Centre and regional structures.
The level of change that staff experience will depend on the position they hold. Some staff may be asked to report to a different national director until further transitional arrangements are completed.
Phase 2 (from 1 June) will continue over the summer months. This will allow the new national directors to input on the further work required. It also involves recruiting regional leadership roles.
Any changes to current roles and responsibilities will be communicated through line managers. Staff should continue with their usual tasks and responsibilities in the meantime. This is important in maintaining service delivery.
Staff transition arrangements will include:
- making changes in line with the new CEO Centre design published by the CEO (PDF, 170 KB, 7 pages)
- supporting the REOs in setting up the health regions in the short term and the new Executive Management Team (EMT) structures over the coming months
- moving hospital group and CHO teams to the new health region EMT and IHA management structures
- ongoing engagement with staff representative groups via the National Joint Council and other staff representative engagements
Staff transition principles
The move from the current structure to the new HSE Centre and health regions will be achieved through:
- confined competitions
- some promotional opportunities
- redeployment
Staff transition principles have been agreed with the Department of Health to ensure transition with fairness and consistency.
One of the key principles (agreed by government) is that the revised structures and transition approach must be achieved within current resources. This means Whole Time Equivalent [WTE] neutral and grade neutral.
Next steps
Next steps as we continue this transition include:
- fulfilling direct reports of the CEO and REOs, prioritising the recruitment of national directors and health region EMTs
- fulfilling other roles on a function-by-function basis, including IHA manager and regional leadership roles
- keeping some current systems in place to make sure we transition safely and always maintain services to ensure minimal disruption to patients and service users
- aiming to complete these changes by 30 September 2024
Regional health profiles
For health regions to prioritise and plan services that meet the regional population's needs, it is essential to have good information on the population it serves.
Population profiles for each HSE region are now available. These profiles provide an overview of the key demographic features of the population. They will be essential for prioritising and planning health services and will inform resource allocation in the longer term via Population Based Resource Allocation (PBRA).
The regional population profiles provide summary information about each region, and for the Community Health Networks within each region. This includes:
- population trends
- deprivation levels
- self-reported health status
- smoking incidence
- disability rates
- education levels and broader determinants of health
Regional Departments of Public Health developed the profiles with:
- the HSE Population Based Planning Group
- the National Health Intelligence team
- the National Health Service Improvement team
- the Department of Health, Health Regions Planning Group and Statistical Analysis Unit
Access the 6 regional population profiles
These population profiles are the first chapter of more comprehensive population health profiles. These profiles will be co-designed with key stakeholders, including patient partners and community representatives over the coming months. They will include further information on the health status, mortality and morbidity of each regional population. They will also include information on the health assets and services in each region.
Communications
Discussing health regions in team meetings
We are encouraging managers and staff to:
- educate yourself about the health region and HSE Centre reforms
- engage with your colleagues about what the health region reforms mean for you and your service
- use opportunities like team meetings to consider new health regions as you plan and deliver your services
To support these discussions, we have prepared a slide deck presentation. The presentation includes a general overview of the health regions and an update on implementation.
The slides are intended for delivery at team and department meetings by line managers, heads of service or heads of department.
Suggested speakers’ notes are included to support managers delivering the presentation.
Download the health regions slide presentation (PowerPoint, 8.89 MB, 29 pages)
Contact
If you have a question about any of the information on this page, or want more information about the health region implementation programme, email healthregions.team@hse.ie.