The HSE has published its 2022 Annual Report and Annual Financial Statements. The document highlights the activity across the health service during the year and provides an analysis of progress on reform, operations, budget management and governance.
Chair of the HSE board, Mr Ciarán Devane, said: “Our focus over the year was on providing safe and high-quality health and social care services, while addressing long-standing challenges for the health service. While the quality of health outcomes continues to improve, access to care remains the primary concern for the HSE.
“Waiting lists for scheduled care in hospitals and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments, particularly for older people and those who have more complex needs, all remain a significant issue. We also remain focused on and concerned about waiting times and recruitment challenges in our Disability Services. These were all a priority for action during 2022 and will continue to be so in 2023.”
Looking ahead to the introduction of the health regions in January 2024, he stated: “Implementation of the health regions and the related focus on population health will provide a real opportunity to fundamentally improve how services are delivered locally.”
The recently appointed HSE CEO, Mr Bernard Gloster, said that “this report reflects the dynamic and complex delivery of a nationwide health and social care service in extraordinarily challenging times. Those challenges include the impact of Covid-19 and the criminal cyberattack, and how the world fundamentally changed for many as a result of the war in Ukraine and the need for international protection.”
He said that “in the face of these significant challenges, new services have been developed and improvements to existing services have been achieved. It is our people, the staff of the HSE and our many partner professionals and organisations who have made this possible.”
The CEO stated that “we are committed to transforming Ireland’s health and social care services, including mental health, disability and older person’s services, and work continues to ensure equitable access to integrated health and social care services, organised around the needs of people. We are in the process of being reshaped into a community-focused model, better designed to deal with the greater level of ongoing support for people with chronic conditions.
“Access to our health and social care services is so important for the people who need them and is one of our biggest challenges. We must achieve more timely access for all who need our services, noting the potential impact and distress for patients, service users and their families caused by delays.”
To view the report, visit https://assets.hse.ie/media/documents/HSE-Annual-Report-and-Financial-Statements-2022.pdf
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