The coming year is a time when healthcare delivery will be reset as it enters a new post-pandemic era. Many of the challenges remain. Demands on services continue to increase as a result of changes to national demographics and from the opportunities which new medical developments bring. We need to move forward in many areas but significant challenges remain including cost inflation, staff recruitment and retention, and an ageing infrastructure.
Our annual conference this year, Pathways for Progress will consider the three areas, People, Structure and Technology which present the best opportunities for developing our health services to meet the challenges in the years ahead.
While the competence and commitment of staff in the health services is unsurpassed, many critical challenges remain for health service managers. Covid stretched system capacity to its limits and, although staff are recognised for their incredible contribution over a prolonged period of time, the pandemic took its toll across the service. Now is the time to reset our policies and practices in line with contemporary approaches; to align our workforce in accordance with service needs; and to deal with on-going challenges such as recruitment, work-life balance and managing diversity.
We are anticipating the start of the rollout of the Regional Health Areas (RHAs) early next year. Originally identified in the Slaintecare Report, the RHAs offer an opportunity for the delivery of truly integrated care. This geographical realignment will facilitate and support the delivery of population-based healthcare planning, with each RHA responsible for its own devolved budget and decision making. Central to getting this right is strong and consistent leadership from senior managers, with clear lines of governance and accountability.
Technology is transforming all aspects of healthcare including diagnostics, service delivery, patient care and the management of services. It proved its high worth as an enabler of organisation performance during the pandemic. However, current investment is well short of what is required. With limited financial resources available, how should priorities be assessed and resources allocated?
Our conference aims to address these questions and perhaps prompt others. We are delighted that we are back to a face-to-face conference in the RDS this year. As in previous years, the conference is designed to allow delegates time and space to engage in debate and discussion with our distinguished panel and opportunities to network with their peers.
Thanks to our conference sponsor and patrons.