HSE health regions

In 2024, we created 6 health regions. Each region is responsible for providing both hospital and community care for the people in that area.

This changes the way that our services are delivered so that they're easier for people to find and use.

The HSE is still a single organisation, with 6 health regions.

Integrating health and social care by region

Bringing community health services and hospitals together means we can take a more patient-centred approach to healthcare.

Services working together within each region include:

• hospitals
• primary care services - like pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries
• community services
• social care services
• public and private providers
• health and social care professionals
• voluntary sector services

This means that patients can be cared for closer to home, whatever their health needs.

These regions mean we can:

• plan and deliver our services around the specific needs of people in each area
• improve how these services are run and how people take responsibility for them
• strengthen local decision-making by giving regions the power to plan, manage and deliver their own care
• provide a consistent quality of care across the country, with the HSE Centre being responsible for ensuring standards across the regions

Each region has its own budget, leadership team and responsibility for local decision-making. They continue to work towards the Sláintecare objectives.

Sláintecare - our strategy for improving Ireland's healthcare system

Each health region is led by a Regional Executive Officer (REO). The REO is accountable and responsible for regional health and social care services.

The 6 REOs reports directly to the HSE Chief Executive Officer.

The health regions and their boundaries

The 6 health regions cover the following areas:

HSE Dublin and North East: North Dublin, Meath, Louth, Cavan, and Monaghan

HSE Dublin and Midlands: Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Kildare, and parts of Dublin South and Wicklow

HSE Dublin and South East: Tipperary South, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow, part of South Dublin

HSE Mid West: Limerick, Tipperary and Clare

HSE South West: Kerry and Cork

HSE West and North West: Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Roscommon, Mayo, and Galway

West county Wicklow continues to come under Kildare for health services. A small portion of west county Cavan continues to come under Sligo and Leitrim for health services.

Organisational Reform HSE Health Regions Implementation Plan - gov.ie

Management of Health Regions

The health regions remain under the governance of the HSE Board. The HSE continues to be responsible for standards and guidelines.

There is also a team of senior executive officers and 6 regional health forums to oversee the management of each region.

Regional Executive Officers

6 Regional Executive Officers (REO) have been appointed to oversee the management of health and social care services in each of the health 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

Regional health forums

HSE regional health forums are groups where local authorities, community representatives and the public meet to talk about health services in their region. This brings healthcare decision-making closer to the community.

The forums give feedback on health services within each region. Their aim is to make sure local needs are heard and that health services focus on the people who use them.

Regional health forums minutes

Health Areas

Health Areas will be the smaller divisions within each of the 6 new health regions. There will be a total of 20 IHAs, each serving about 300,000 people.

They will be organised based on:

• local geography
• population size
• needs
• available services

IHAs will combine:

• hospital services
• community health services
• other providers outside the HSE

This will help deliver coordinated and seamless healthcare.