The Eastern Health Board ceases to exist at midnight tonight. However, people living in the board's area have been advised that there will be no change in their access to health services.
The board is being replaced by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, based in Dublin, and three new area health boards, with headquarters in Swords, Bray and Naas. The new structures will be formally launched by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, tomorrow afternoon. Before the launch, the ERHA will hold its first meeting and the 55 members of the authority - which include for the first time a non-consultant hospital doctor - will elect a chair. The present chairman of the Eastern Health Board, Mr Ivor Callely TD, will be hoping to retain that position.
Members of the ERHA will then be delegated positions on the Northern Area Health Board, (19 members), the East Coast Area Health Board (15 members) and the South Western Area Health Board (21 members).
The chief executives of each of these boards have already been appointed. They are Ms Maureen Windle, a former EHB programme manager who becomes the second woman chief executive officer of a health board in the State; Mr Michael Lyons, a former official of the Department of Health; and Mr Pat Donnelly, former programme manager with the North Eastern Health Board.
The ERHA chief executive is Mr Donal O'Shea, a former chief executive officer of the North Eastern Health Board. He said the new arrangements were introduced because the previous organisational structures were no longer suitable for the vastly increased populations of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. "The objective is to provide an integrated, seamless and co-ordinated service for the benefit of patients and clients. "When people are sick and vulnerable, they are least able to negotiate their way around the services, and it is my objective in the new structures to ensure that patients and clients will be able to access the services and find their way from one sector to another easily," he added.
The health boards will be responsible for decision-making in their areas and the ERHA will oversee the planning and funding of hospitals and services, by agreement with the boards. Until now, the major Dublin hospitals such as the Mater and Beaumont received their funding directly from the Department of Health, but henceforth they will be funded through the ERHA.
The ERHA has set up a special freephone at 1800 520 520.