The Department of Health has published an end of year progress report on the Sláintecare Reform Programme.
It sets out progress in the two main areas of reform for the 10-year plan – improving safe, timely access to care and promoting health and wellbeing and addressing inequalities and delivering universal healthcare.
The 2021 report says that of 228 deliverables, over 87% have been progressed on track or with minor delays and over 12% have been progressed with significant challenges.
Among the big items still to be delivered are the promised six Regional Health Areas.
A regional health areas advisory group was set up last year to help progress the plans and the latest report says that "workstreams will be undertaken in 2022".
The progress report says that an extra 42 critical care, 813 acute and 73 sub-acute beds were opened in 2020/21.
Nine more primary care centres were opened last year and GP access to diagnostics went live in January 2021.
Last year, the Sláintecare Reform Programme was embroiled in controversy after two key members resigned over concerns about progress.
Some members of the Sláintecare Implementatiion Advisory Council also raised concerns and the council's term ended and was not renewed.
Tomorrow, Robert Watt, the Secretary General of the Department of Health and Paul Reid, the HSE Chief Executive, will appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee to discuss progress on the reform programme.
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