Private firm to run hospitals

conno16

the start of a new form of privatisation perhaps?
sounds like step 1 to me
once these money pits are "turned round", does anyone honestly expect (or want) the HSE to come back into play - doubt it

Indo article today...

A PRIVATE company is to be drafted in to run a number of the country's public hospitals for 15 months in a radical overhaul of management.
The public hospitals in the west, including University College Hospital in Galway and Limerick Regional Hospital, both of which are beset by long waiting lists and overcrowding, are to be effectively taken over for more than a year by outside management consultants. During that time they will attempt to increase efficiencies, cut waiting times and reduce budget overruns.

It is the first time that the running of public hospitals has been given over to private hands and is a clear vote of no confidence in existing public service managers.
A tender process to recruit the outside managers is almost complete and the new arrangements are expected to be in place for several months until the hospitals are overhauled. While further details have yet to emerge, the new consultants will manage the running of the hospitals as well as their multi-million euro budgets.
The two hospitals were chosen because of ongoing problems with overcrowding and yesterday there were 27 patients languishing on trolleys in Limerick Regional Hospital and 34 waiting for a bed at University College Hospital in Galway (UCHG).
The private managers will look after the day-to-day running of the two major hospitals in the HSE West and also oversee the other hospitals in the region, including Merlin Park Hospital in Galway, Roscommon Hospital, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe and Ennis Hospital.
Five companies are believed to be competing for the contract to manage the hospitals with a deal expected to be signed in the coming weeks.
The outside managers will report to HSE Regional Director John Hennessy and Health Minister James Reilly.
Galway Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh confirmed to the Irish Independent that the move is under way and will be in effect very shortly.
"It will be the the most significant reform of the acute hospital sector in Ireland since the inception of the HSE," he said.
However, the IMPACT trade union warned last night that the major move would "effectively privatise hospital services in the western region by stealth".
The union, which represents clerical, administrative and management staff in the region, said the process of tendering for the management contract was an attempt to bypass the moratorium on public service recruitment and public service pay guidelines.

swordofislam

conno16 wrote: »

t
A PRIVATE company is to be drafted in to run a number of the country's public hospitals for 15 months in a radical overhaul of management.

Are they going to sack the existing management or what?

swim2

swordofislam wrote: »

Are they going to sack the existing management or what?

I thought the exact same thing!!! I doubt it, but if they do manage to turn the hospitals around then they should all be sacked...

conno16

both hospitals dont really have sen mgmt in place, (and what is there will prob be off on long term sick leave next week)

if they had an existing CEO / Manager sure the hospital would be in the middle of bigtime industrial action

syklops

A step in the right direction if you ask me.

Cue the socialists with "You cant run a country like a business etc etc"

Sleepy

While I'm all for this in principle, there'a bright pink elephant in the room: as far as I understand it, the vast majority of the HSE budget is spent on salaries. Any move by a competent management team to fix this issue will lead to IMPACT and their ilk throwing tantrums and endangering lives with strike action. Unless the government are prepared to allow this company to break the Croke Park agreement, I'm not sure how they can hope for anyone to fix the problems with the HSE. It's like asking someone to break the world record for a triathlon whilst bound in handcuffs and manacles.

swordofislam

syklops wrote: »

A step in the right direction if you ask me.

Cue the socialists with "You cant run a country like a business etc etc"

I know those awful socialists why have we let them run the country for the last 90 years.

Sleepy

"run" would be a kind euphemism for "mis-manage" in our case swordofislam!

Suryavarman

Here is the link for anyone who wants it.

I'm fully in favour of this move towards leaving a private company run the hospitals. I'd prefer to see the hospitals completely privatised and to see the Government out of healthcare but this is a step in the right direction.

meditraitor

strike, strike, strike

Greaney

It might sound crazy, but it just might work!!

I can't give you my anecdotal story because starts with 'a mate told me' but it's to do with a change of management in the vec school he works in and the effect of a new 'manager' (principal).

BANZAI_RUNNER

i think its a good idea, and will watch to see the final outcome , but as an exercise they should revert back to the old system after the 15 months are up , and see just how quick the HSE messes the thing up again, then they can put forward a case for privatization of the system and get it in place

Debtocracy

Suryavarman wrote: »

Here is the link for anyone who wants it.

I'm fully in favour of this move towards leaving a private company run the hospitals. I'd prefer to see the hospitals completely privatised and to see the Government out of healthcare but this is a step in the right direction.

There's a reason why governments have decided not to leave healthcare under the profit motive. Have a go at figuring it out.

jimmycrackcorm

there's a huge gap between privatization of hospitals and having a private firm come in to run them. Given the almost universal recognition that public management of the hospitals is woeful, this can only be regarded as a positive step to see if this situation can be improved.

It still remains questionable whether or not anything will be improved by private management seeing as the unions will stymie any possible changes regardless.

liammur

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Take Limerick

Closing down 3 other hospitals in the region and putting them all into the LRH. Overcrowding ?, that's what I'd just have expected.

Suryavarman

Debtocracy wrote: »

There's a reason why governments have decided not to leave healthcare under the profit motive. Have a go at figuring it out.

Because the Government likes to prove how incompetent it is at doing everything?

jmayo

swordofislam wrote: »

Are they going to sack the existing management or what?

One point made by impact guy last night I bet could come into play.
As has often happened in Ireland the private contractors brought in happen to be ex employees who have taken early retirement or redundancy.

Watch this space because there is a likelihood this could happen here.
In which case there will be no great shake up, but a lot more wasted money and a wasted opportunity.

knipex

liammur wrote: »

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Take Limerick

Closing down 3 other hospitals in the region and putting them all into the LRH. Overcrowding ?, that's what I'd just have expected.

Three hospital in the mid west closed down ?

Its been a while since I was home but I am sure I woudl have heard ???

Which ones ??

Idbatterim

There's a reason why governments have decided not to leave healthcare under the profit motive. Have a go at figuring it out.

yeah the audacity of private companies trying to make a profit! Id prefer they creamed it off rather than the doctors, consultants, middle managements etc!

Welease

Debtocracy wrote: »

There's a reason why governments have decided not to leave healthcare under the profit motive. Have a go at figuring it out.

It depends on where the profit comes from.. If a private firm can offer the same level of service (or better) for reduced cost through efficiencies and effective management then they are welcome to that profit especially if it reduces the overall cost to the state...

At present with the HSE we get the high costs and lack of service.

conno16

ur gonna see franchise agreements all over the place before long
the day of hse mgmt running hospitals is coming to an end, i do believe