Sláintecare - A ten-year plan to achieve universal healthcare in Ireland

Abstract

In May 2017, an Irish cross-party parliamentary committee published the 'Houses of the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare "Sláintecare" report'. The report, known as 'Sláintecare', is unique and historic as it is the first time there has been a cross-party political consensus on major health reform in Ireland. Sláintecare sets out a high level policy roadmap to deliver whole system reform and universal healthcare, phased over a ten year period and costed. Sláintecare details reform proposals which, if delivered, will establish; a universal, single-tier health service where patients are treated solely on the basis of health need; the reorientation of the health system 'towards integrated primary and community care, consistent with the highest quality of patient safety in as short a time-frame as possible'. Sláintecare has five interrelated components: population health; entitlements and access to healthcare; integrated care; funding; and implementation. In this article, the authors use documents in the public domain (parliamentary reports, public hearings, submissions to the Committee, media coverage, the final report of the Committee, speeches by Committee members) to describe the policy process and the main contents of the proposed Sláintecare reforms. It is too soon tell if the political consensus in the policy formation can hold for its implementation.

Keywords: Access, funding; Entitlements; Health policy; Health reform; Implementation; Integrated care; Ireland; Political consensus; Population health; Universal health coverage; Universal healthcare.