The Department of Health is seeking to contract a research service to support the new Commission on Care for Older Persons.
The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future committed to the establishment of a body that will “assess how we care for older people and examine alternatives to meet the diverse needs of our older citizens”.
The commitment was made in the context of Ireland’s aging population and in acknowledgment of the disproportionately negative impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on older persons.
On 3 October 2023, the Government approved the proposal from the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and the Minister of State for Older People Mary Butler for the establishment of a Commission on Care for Older Persons.
The Commission, which will fall under the responsibility of the Department of Health, will be comprised of independent experts, including an independent chairperson.
It will report directly to the Minister for Health and the Minister of State for Older People. The Commission will be supported by a secretariat from the Department.
The purpose of the Commission will be to examine the health and social care services and supports provided to older persons across the continuum of care and to make recommendations for their strategic development. It will also be charged with determining whether there is a need for further investigations to be undertaken.
Due to the scope of the Commission’s remit, a modular approach will be taken to advancing its work.
A total of three modules will be undertaken sequentially: ‘Current services and learnings for the future’ (module 1); ‘options for the future’ (module 2); and ‘enabling positive aging’ (module 3).
Working with Commission members, the research support service will produce working papers on an ongoing basis as requested, and will prepare reports at the conclusion of each module.
These reports will be prepared on behalf of the Commission and will detail the Commission’s thoughts and views.
“The report produced at the end of module 1 will provide an overview of the Commission’s findings in respect of the effectiveness, adequacy, and efficiency of the current provision of health and social care services and supports for older persons in Ireland, bearing in mind the national and international policy context within which they are being delivered,” according to the tender document.
The successful tenderer should have in-depth knowledge of the Irish health and social care system as well as expertise in the areas of health economics, health policy and management, and gerontology/geriatrics.
The contract period will be from March 2024 to February 2025 and the cost of the services provided “is not expected to exceed” €400,000 (inclusive of VAT).
The deadline for the tender is 9 February.
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