Special HSE Performance and Delivery Committee meeting minutes 2 November 2022

Committee Members Present

Fergus Finlay (Chair), Brendan Whelan, Anne Carrigy, Sarah Barry.

HSE Executive Attendance

Dean Sullivan (CSO), Mairead Dolan, (Interim CFO), Stephanie O’Keeffe (ND Operations Planning), Miin Alikhan (AND Strategic Planning and Reporting), Dara Purcell (Secretary).

Apologies

Sarah McLoughlin

The Committee held a private session to review the briefing papers and agree the approach to conducting the meeting.

The Committee Chair welcomed EMT members to the meeting noting that its purpose was to update the Committee on the National Service Plan (NSP) 2023.

2.1 Declarations of Interest

No conflicts of interest were declared.

The CSO provided an overview of the draft NSP 2023 and its current timeline, which was circulated to the Committee prior to the meeting for review and consideration. The CSO informed the Committee that this first draft of the NSP takes account of the Letter of Determination (LOD) received on 20 October 2022. In line with legislative requirements, the draft NSP sets out the type and volume of health and social care services to be provided by the HSE in 2023, in response to the funding made available and the level of staff to be deployed which are set out in the LOD. He confirmed that the draft plan reflects the Statement of Priorities as set out by the Minister for Health in the LOD and it provides the framework for the implementation of all HSE strategic priorities and actions in 2023, and that exchanges with the DOH have been ongoing to develop a shared understanding of the assumptions and key requirements set out in the LOD.

The CSO advised that a detailed process is underway across service areas and functions to finalise target levels of activity and performance for 2023. This will take account of the position with new service developments from 2021 and 2022, which are yet to fully implemented, the timing of the implementation of new service developments for 2023, and the implications of available resources for the maintenance of existing levels of services.

The Chair invited Committee members to provide comments on the draft NSP. The Committee noted the proposed timelines and commented on starting a mid-year planning process in the future. The Committee first discussed the provisions in the draft NSP relating to recruitment and retention, highlighting that these issues should receive balanced focus as they will underpin further discussion on the NSP. The CSO agreed recruitment and retention are both clearly a key areas of focus for service provision. Of note, the CSO conveyed that the NSP provisions are designed to both progress current levels of recruitment and achieve additional priorities outlined in the LOD, noting that this balance is particularly complex this year.

The Committee discussed the sections of the NSP that deal with community services, particularly disability and mental health, noting that these sections will need to be strengthened by providing further details on issues such as staffing, assessment of needs and the impact of COVID-19 in the final NSP. In response to questions from the Committee on access to care, the CSO confirmed that this is one of the main priorities, in relation to both community access and hospital access, being pursued for 2023.

In relation to the overall character of the plan, the Committee noted that ideally, the NSP should be less target focused and more implementation focused. The Committee also requested that in further drafts of the NSP, particular care should be taken in relation to the language used, ensuring that it is clear, enabling and unconditional. It was also noted that the format of the NSP should be considered an important element of the plan as it can enhance clarity and transparency. The Committee emphasised that it will need to be confident the draft NSP 2023 will serve the public well and that it is deliverable before it can be recommended to the Board.

The CSO thanked the Committee for their comments and advised that they would be reflected in the next draft of the NSP. It was agreed that the Committee would meet again on Tuesday 8 November to consider the next draft of the NSP.

The Committee agreed that it will continue to hold other special meetings outside of its usual monthly meeting to provide the required oversight on NSP process in the coming weeks.

The meeting ended at 10.20am.