HSE launches Health Services Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan

• Another step forward to achieve goals of Healthy Ireland Framework

Today (Friday, 7^th July 2023), Bernard Gloster, HSE CEO launched the Health Services Healthy Ireland Implementation Plan 2023 – 2027. The plan sets out how the health service and partners will work to promote health and wellbeing in the coming years to support people to live longer and healthier while also preventing chronic disease. 

Building on the work done by the HSE in recent years to promote the health and wellbeing of the public, patients and service users as well as their staff, the plan commits to ongoing and further enhancement of wellbeing initiatives across a variety of policy areas such as;

• Tobacco
• Alcohol
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Sexual Health
• Staff Health and Wellbeing
• Healthy Eating and Active Living

Healthy Ireland invites all people and agencies to work together to bring about a Healthier Ireland where everyone, can enjoy physical and mental, health and wellbeing, to their full potential. Since the publication of the Healthy Ireland Framework, significant progress has been made to implement the vision of a Healthy Ireland. However, much remains to be done to further promote Health and Wellbeing to staff and the general population. Central to this plan’s delivery will be the HSE’s ongoing partnership working with a broad set of stakeholders and partners including funded agencies, Tusla, local authorities and community organisations.

With approximately 1.3 million people living with chronic conditions e.g. asthma, COPD, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, it is critical we support people to change their health behaviour as well as to self-manage their chronic conditions in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce pressures on the health system. 

Launching the plan at the HSE Healthy Ireland Conference 2023, Bernard Gloster, HSE CEO said: “This plan is another key step forward to achieve the goals of the Healthy Ireland Framework. The HSE recognises the importance of embedding health and wellbeing in health service delivery and taking a life course approach from childhood to healthy ageing. It identifies the benefits of further strengthening partnership and community working while recognising the dependency and the need to focus on staff personal health and wellbeing.”

One of the key speakers at today’s conference was Dr Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer.  He outlined that there are many significant opportunities in our health services to raise the issue of lifestyle behaviour change through a brief intervention.  For example;

• 14 million contacts each year with GP services
• 5 million Public Health Nursing contacts
• 1.3 million dental visits
• 1.2 million seen in emergency departments
• 20 million prescriptions filled.

Speaking at the launch of the plan, Dr Philip Crowley, HSE National Director Strategy and Research said: “Investing in Prevention and Early Intervention provides huge returns for our health service. Up to 80% of cases of coronary heart disease, 90% of type 2 diabetes cases, and one-third of cancers can be avoided by adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours. This conference Healthy Ireland - The Time is Now – Act today to Shape a Healthier Tomorrow is taking the time for us to reflect on how we can all play our role for the implementation of this plan. I am delighted to have with us today Dr Machteld Huber, Public Health in the Netherlands, Prof Ciarán O Boyle, Professor of Psychology at the RCSI and Prof Diarmuid O’Donovan, Professor of Global Health.”

#TheTimeIsNow