James Reilly – a year as health minister

So it’s just one year since James Reilly took up the mantle as health minister. What did he promise us and how is he doing?

Reilly’s special advisor paid €160,000 for 80% of his time, works here ‘on average’ 2 weeks a month

Minister James Reilly’s  much heralded special advisor Martin Connor, who is the most senior health policy advisor in the Department of Health’s Special Delivery Unit, is also a research fellow in Stanford University, in the heart of the silicon valley in California.

Reilly’ rejects HSE 2012 Service Plan: pure optics and a damage limitation exercise

Having received a hammering from the print media over the holiday period, Minister James Reilly took a media offensive on 5  January 2012 on  RTE Radio with appearances on the Pat Kenny show and an interview with Fergal Bowers on the News at One. In my opinion, these media appearances were a combination of damage limitation and pure optics…

Uphill struggle ahead as Reilly finishes first term in health

As the political season ends and James Reilly gives an upbeat speech to the MacGill summer school, immense challenges face him now and when the autumn season begins…

Consultants excluded from 15% voluntary pay cut….

It was reported in the Irish Times (24 June 2011) that hospital consultants and or their representative bodies lobbied the minister for health, James Reilly, so as not to be included in the 15% voluntary pay waiver announced by Minister of Public Expenditure and Reform on Wednesday last (22 June 2011). This was refuted by both a spokesperson for the Minister of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (known as PER). So why are consultants excluded and who earns what in the public health system?

No surprise that ‘Fair Deal’ has run out of money

Just 20 months old, the nursing home support scheme (named the Fair Deal) has run out of money, so what will happen older people in need of nursing home care and why are we only hearing about this now? 

Whither the new children’s hospital?

Today, 12 May 2011, news broke of the resignation of Ailish Hardiman, the CEO of the children’s hospital planning board and co-incidentally Minister Reilly published information of the independent review to be carried out on the cost and location of the hospital. So whither the children’s hospital from here?  

Consultants: dissatisfied with cut backs

Figures from an unpublished survey carried out by the Irish Medical Organisation show that over ¼ of consultants are thinking of leaving the public health system, that many of them are upset about cuts to services and their own pay. 

Proposed child welfare and protection agency: a good move or not?

Last Monday (28 April 2011), the first full Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald said that the new Child Protection and Welfare Agency will ‘strip away the procrastination, the deception and evasion that has allowed abusers go unpunished’ – high ambitions indeed for an agency we know little about. So what do we know about the plans to set up a new Child Protection and Welfare Agency and is it a good move or not?

Reilly takes on the pharmacists

Late on the afternoon the day the long awaited bank stress tests were published (31 March), Minister Reilly took on his first public battle announcing further cuts to fees paid to pharmacists. Under the 2009 Financial Emergency Measures Act, the minister has the right to do this – and previous cuts under Mary Harney results in the pharmacy strike in summer 2009. So these cuts are on top of cuts ready made and seem quite a bold, political move just three weeks into office.