Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald TD has today launched a discussion document on ‘The Case for an Irish National Health & Care Service’.
The Sinn Féin paper is a significant contribution to the growing discussion taking place around the issue of a new Ireland – a united Ireland – and in particular the provision of health and care services.
Uachtarán Shinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald said, “The future shape of an all-island health service is for many people a priority. Both health services on the island of Ireland are in crisis. A new Ireland requires a new health and care service that can meet the needs of citizens and is free at the point of delivery.
“Sinn Féin is publishing this contribution to the conversation. It promotes the objective of a world-class healthcare service in a new and united Ireland. It offers a vision of a publicly funded, universal service which can deliver better working conditions for healthcare staff, and greater investment in vital services – including mental health care and disability services.
“Citizens and patients will be much better served by a health and care service that is planned, managed and delivered based on the needs of the national population.
“Sinn Fein is proposing a series of steps to ensure we can successfully deliver a better, safer and more efficient health and care service for citizens. These proposals include:
- The Ministers for Health, north and south, along with an Assistant Secretary General (or equivalent) from each Department of Health should lead design, planning, integration and collaboration on an all-island basis.
- The Ministerial health group and the Shared Island Unit and the should bring together committed and expert health and social care professionals, health economists, senior management, professional organisations, trade unions as well as relevant experts from across Ireland to implement health and care planning in an all-island context.
- The Shared Island Unit should develop detailed costings for implementing the Sláintecare and Bengoa reports and also develop costed proposals for integrating the health services in the north and the south as a single universal healthcare service.
- A single, integrated hospital waiting list system for the island of Ireland should be established.
- Digital health and care records should be in place from primary to tertiary care across the island, with appropriate data sharing to support cross-border care.
- Emergency services should be aligned to maximise recruitment, training, and operational capacity. A particular focus is needed in the border region to ensure best use of equipment, investment, and specialist skills.
- Clinical programmes and national strategies should be delivered on an all-island basis to drive service improvements and set common, comparable standards.
- All island workforce planning must be initiated to ensure enough graduates are available to fully staff the all-island health service.
- Develop common professional and regulatory standards for all health and care service professions to improve access to work opportunities, professional development, and clinical governance.
- Establish a Rural Health Commission to develop an all-island rural health strategy
“An Irish National Health and Care Service is a common sense and achievable proposition. There are already many areas of cooperation across the two health systems. These need to be supported by the full integration of health provision across the island of Ireland and a national health strategy.”
You can read the report here or by clicking below.
