The first of the new HSE health regions begins to take shape today as Sandra Broderick takes charge in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. So what does this mean for patients?
The HSE currently works across nine community healthcare organisations, six hospital groups and Children's Health Ireland.
There are also HSE public health departments that deal with infectious diseases and outbreaks.
The move will result in a single HSE organization with six health regions, governed by the HSE Board.
They will be funded based on the health needs of each local population.
This could benefit areas with high levels of deprivation, which are typically associated with worse health outcomes.
It is hoped that as each district can make and fund hiring decisions, vacancies can be filled more quickly.
While comparisons are sometimes drawn to the health boards that predated the creation of the HSE in 2005, basing funding on population needs is new and it is hoped that it will more effectively address inequalities.
However, it's hard to blame healthcare staff for being slightly jaded, as it was only in 2013 that hospital groups were announced.
They have been described as “the most fundamental reform of the Irish acute hospital system for decades”, but are already underway.
There have been no announcements of hospital or service closures.
Instead, it is expected that if services work more closely with the nearest hospital, then patients will be able to move between them more easily, under the Slaintecare reforms.
HSE Southwest will cover Cork/Kerry while HSE Midwest covers Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.
Tipperary South and Waterford together with Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow and south Dublin will form HSE Dublin and South East.
HSE Dublin Midlands stretches from the capital to Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford.
HSE Dublin and Northeast covers Meath, Louth, Monaghan and Cavan, while HSE West and Northwest covers Galway, Roscommon, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Donegal.
February next year is the deadline with each of them headed by a regional executive. Hospital groups and community healthcare organizations are expected to withdraw by the end of the year.
At present, each hospital group and public health unit of the community health care organization has separate management teams.
Ms Broderick starts today as regional executive director of the new HSE Midwest health region.
In a statement, the HSE said: “The chief executive of the hospital group, the head of the community health organization and the director of public health will report directly to her and she will report directly to the HSE chief executive.” She is the first of the district officers to be announced, with the others starting work on March 1.
Ms Broderick is leaving her position as assistant national director responsible for seniors services.
