The Health Service Executive (HSE) is looking to employ as many as 15 top-tier management staff for the forthcoming integrated healthcare zones, which are part of its latest structural reorganisation strategy. These newly formulated integrated healthcare zone managerial roles will be equivalent to a national director grade, attracting starting salaries around €170,000.
The HSE noted that the government has stipulated that the revamp of the healthcare service proceeds on a “full-time equivalent and grade neutral basis”. The restructuring, which will segment the health service operation into six distinct regions, would not include a voluntary redundancy scheme.
The integrated healthcare zones essentially act as substructures within each region, with a total of 20 zones expected. Each zone is forecasted to cater to a population varying from 150,000 to 450,000 residents.
Under the upcoming reforms, the previous administrative boundaries separating hospital and community service delivery within the HSE will be dissolved. These novel integrated healthcare zones are anticipated to amalgamate acute and community services, in addition to services rendered by external entities and organisations.
The HSE has initiated an application process to establish five separate panels for the managerial position in the integrated healthcare zone (IHA) across five out its six new regions, excluding the midwest region. The roles are open to both internal health service applicants and external individuals.
The advert mentions “15 permanent integrated healthcare area manager vacancies” presently open and indicates the possible creation of 5 separate panels to fill current and forthcoming vacancies, both on a permanent and specified purpose basis.
The newly instated integrated healthcare area manager would directly report to the recent regional executive officer appointee, who in turn reports to the current HSE chief executive, Bernard Gloster.
HSE highlighted that Mr Gloster has consistently stated that such restructuring is essentially a re-shuffling of the existing HSE framework to a more efficient structure, incorporating hospital and community services at the regional level, aiming for improved patient service delivery. The Government’s mandate is for this restructuring to be a full-time equivalent (WTE), grade-neutral endeavour. Although a tiny proportion of highly specialised roles may be externally recruited, it would be fulfilled keeping in mind an overall WTE-neutral stance.
The advert suggests that the Area Manager in Integrated Healthcare will play an integral role within the executive management team (EMT) of the healthcare region. This role necessitates forming important collaborations with all other members of the EMT; their collective mandate is to bolster and facilitate the efforts of the Area Managers in Integrated Healthcare in strategising and executing services for patients and those utilising the services.
The members of the healthcare region’s EMT cover a range of activities including planning, performance, public health, clinical leadership, human resources, finances, real estate, and IT. Furthermore, the Area Manager will maintain a close liaison with the Health Region’s hub for change and innovation to ensure the continual promotion and establishment of a programmatic and developmental orientation towards effecting change throughout the region.