Westmeath councillor to head up new health service forum

Westmeath county councillor Frankie Keena has been appointed chair of the newly established Dublin and Midlands health forum, and the Longford councillor Peggy Nolan was chosen as vice-chair.

The two were elected unopposed at the forum’s inaugural meeting on Tuesday last, September 8, in Tullamore, a gathering described as a landmark moment in shaping the future of healthcare delivery in the region.

The meeting was opened by Kate Killeen-White, regional executive officer, who stressed the importance of the occasion in "setting the tone correct from the get-go". She said the forum would play a vital role in ensuring accountability and transparency as the health service moves into a new era of regional governance under the Sláintecare reforms.

Reform

The Dublin and Midlands Health Region is one of six new health regions created in March 2024. It brings together what were previously separate hospital groups and community health organisations into a single integrated system.

Covering a population of almost 1.1 million and employing around 30,000 staff, the region is among the largest in the country.

It stretches from south Dublin through Kildare and Wicklow to the four midland counties of Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and Laois.

The region incorporates some of the country’s biggest and most specialised hospitals – including St James’s, Tallaght, the Coombe and Children’s Health Ireland – while also encompassing the midlands regional hospitals in Mullingar, Tullamore and Portlaoise. Alongside those acute services, it includes a vast network of community health supports such as primary care, disability, older persons, mental health, and public health programmes.

"The objective," Ms Killeen-White explained, "is to integrate hospital and community care, strengthen governance, and make sure services are planned around the needs of local populations. Crucially, it is also about tackling health inequalities."

In a brief presentation on the midlands integrated health area (IHA), which spans Westmeath, Longford, Offaly and Laois, acting midlands IHA manager Joseph Campbell provided councillors with an overview of the scale and challenges of the area.

With a population of 380,000, it is the second largest IHA in the region but, geographically, the biggest. Campbell said this wide spread created "real pressures in terms of reaching people and ensuring services are accessible".

He highlighted areas of deprivation around Mullingar and Athlone, both identified as priority zones for tackling health inequality.

"Those are the key areas we are focusing on," he told councillors.

The Midlands IHA is also served by three statutory hospitals, providing maternity, obstetrics, gynaecology and general healthcare, with a broad range of specialties catering for the wider region. "It is a significant footprint of services and central to how we deliver care," Mr Campbell said, underlining the crucial role of the midlands within the regional system.

The forum heard that over the last 18 months, the new health regions have been establishing governance structures and leadership teams. In the Dublin and midlands region, posts are already in place for finance, workforce, public health, communications, nursing, midwifery and clinical operations.

Recruitment is under way for a regional disabilities lead – described by MS Killeen-White as a "key strategic role" given the challenges faced by disability services, particularly in areas such as respite and home care.

A regional director of technology and transformation has also been appointed, expected to take up post within weeks. This role will drive digital innovation, including rolling out electronic health records and ensuring that the lessons of the new children’s hospital – the country’s first digital hospital – can be applied across the region.

"We want to stabilise services, put the region on a sustainable footing, and then grow capacity in line with the population’s needs," Ms Killeen-White said. "Our most important principle is an unwavering commitment to providing safe, high-quality care."

The meeting also set out the guiding principles for the region: effective and efficient services, elimination of waste, fairness in the allocation of resources, and a culture underpinned by compassion and inclusion for both patients and staff.

Ms Killeen-White noted that every family comes into contact with health services at some point. "It is important that we drive a positive experience for everybody who touches our services," she said.

Innovation and continuous learning will also be central to the new model, alongside greater cooperation between hospital and community teams. "We are reducing management layers so that decision-making is closer to the service user," she said.

Local voice

The new health forum is intended to act as the link between elected representatives and health service managers, ensuring that local issues and community perspectives influence decision-making. As Cllr Keena is now chairing the forum, Westmeath has secured a leading role in this process.

Mr Campbell concluded by emphasising that the needs of the midlands would be clearly represented.

"This is about making sure that decisions are made closer to where people live, and that the midlands voice is strong within the new health region," he said.