The HMI Annual Conference, was a shared community of healthcare managers coming together to absorb new thinking and be part of the debate on the future of healthcare and the continuous development of standards of practice, HMI President, Tony Canavan said, opening the Conference in the RDS in Dublin.
Healthcare managers from all over the country packed the Conference, which debated “Pathways for Progress: People, Structure, Technology.”
Mr. Canavan said People, Structure and Technology presented the best opportunities for developing our health services to meet the challenges in the years ahead.
“The health service in Ireland is a very broad family, covering state, voluntary and private services and HMI welcomes them all. We are a very inclusive organisation and we have much to learn from each other.”
He said that while the competence and commitment of staff in the health services was unsurpassed, many critical challenges remained for health service managers. Covid stretched system capacity to its limits and, although staff were recognised for their incredible contribution over a prolonged period of time, the pandemic took its toll across the service. Now was 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
He thanked all the speakers at the Conference and said he also wanted to thank Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly for his ongoing support for the work of healthcare managers.
The principal ways through which the HMI pursued its objectives of informing, educating and involving was through the annual Conference and the HMI Regional meetings and he wished to thank all the sponsors who greatly assisted the Institute’s work in these areas.
Tony Canavan is President of the Health Management Institute and CEO, Saolta University Healthcare Group, University Hospital Galway. He has worked in the health services since 1993 across a range of services including Mental Health Services, Public Health, Primary Care and Corporate Services.
