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THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED Board of the HSE met today for the first time.
Health Minister Simon Harris announced earlier this year that he would re-establish a board to oversee the HSE.
The former HSE board was abolished in 2011 under reforms introduced by the then minister for health, James Reilly.
The new board is chaired by Ciarán Devane, who has previously served on the board of the NHS in the UK.
A number of patient advocates also sit on the new board, which was a recommendation put forward by Dr Gabriel Scally in his report into the National Cervical Screening Programme.
The new board will play a crucial role in the implementation of Sláintecare – a new plan for how Ireland should operate its healthcare system.
Devane outlined the board’s key priorities for the new governing body of the organisation, which includes developing and implementing an effective performance management and accountability system in the HSE.
Developing a plan for building public trust and confidence in the HSE and the wider health service, is also a priority, he said.
“It is important to recognise the huge advances that have been made in our health service with much to be proud of in what we have achieved as a nation in terms of our health and life expectancy. It is vital that we grasp this opportunity to build on these achievements through the implementation of Slaintecare,” said Devane.
Paul Reid, the new CEO of the HSE, today welcomed the formal establishment of the board.
“I very much look forward to working with the HSE Board and building on the great work already underway in the system to deliver a quality service to our patients and service users. The implementation of the Slaintecare health reform plan will be a key focus for us as we pursue our objectives,” he said.
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So now we have the situation where we have a hosepipe ban, and status yellow rain warning.
Only in Ireland.
@John Shea Hen: considering the north west has had heavy rain on and off for a couple of weeks …….
@John Shea Hen:
I can see how it’s outside of your comprehension that the two events could coincide.
@John Shea Hen: Except it’s not only in Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Northern Ireland also have house pipe bans in place. The ground is so dry at the moment that rain falling in reservoir catchment areas will not reach the reservoirs. It’s not that difficult to understand.
The quango are basically saying ‘told you all’ based on our finest summer since 1976. They had a chance not so long ago to pump their allotted expenditure into fixing the pipes but decided that installing meters and billing people was the correct first step which off course it was not. The quango are the architect of the people’s reluctance to engage with them.
@Paraic: Hosepipe ban ended in the North last week..
@Frank Cauldhame: Well put, and so true. First item on the agenda: bonuses and salaries.
@Travis: True, but then the north west of England is introducing one from next week. Kind of missing the point though. It’s a global heatwave event and water conservation is essential regardless of politics, efficiency or infrastructure and is widespread.
@John Shea Hen: I’ll spell it out for you John, here’s an example.
I’d better curb my spending this week because I’m running low in funds but at least I’m getting paid on Monday. Does this scenario not happen everywhere in the world? But I’d suppose people like yourself love the idiotic “only in Ireland” comment.
@Tweety McTweeter: oh a lot of sensitive souls on here. Bless.
@Gary Thanks for that analogy Gary. Much appreciated.
Pity my original comment was says in jest.
@John Shea Hen: It could also be a ploy for Irish water to get more taxpayers money to install more water meters… Have you seen how active they have been in the last few weeks?
@Gary: Irish hospitals, policing,education ,banking,caring for the homeless, infrastructure would meet the only in Ireland criteria ,
Corruption is around every corner in Ireland which in turn gives us the right not to trust Irish Water.
@Frank Cauldhame: You’re not the people: we’re the people. We need a functioning water system and we’ll pay for that if we need to.
Most of the treated water is lost through leaks before it ever hits our homes (and the water meters outside)
We are something like €2,000,000,000 down the drain to irish water, which would have fixed a lot of the major leaks and things would not be critical. Instead we have golden parachutes, tens of millions to consultancy firms, fleets of Audis for executives, laughing yoga etc, and our water supply suffers.
Make no mistake, we are being softened up for privatisation, don’t fall for it…..
@The Risen: Nail on the head, they are trying in a not too subtle way to fool people into thinking that we need this conjob of a utility and are using the unusually good weather as scare tactics to try and normalise this perceived need. Most people see through this and it will be a massive factor along with homelessness , hospital overcrowding, privatisation of national state assets, the HSE etc etc etc in the outcome of the next General Election.
@The Risen: Fake news or just plain lies from the resident shinnerbot
@The Risen: I think it’s a reasonably well established principle of asset management (any asset class) that if certain levels of investment are not kept in the ongoing maintenance (not to improve, but merely to keep at the level intended originally) that asset will deteriorate and eventually become unfit for purpose. Unless it’s made of kryptonite, which our water infrastructure isn’t, being mainly clay, asbestos and cast iron. If one agrees with that principle, one must also agree that this investment, which hasn’t been made heretofore in the country, is an additional cost over and above what we currently have. The money for water has to come from somewhere: our pockets. This is simply a reality from which there is no escape.
@Billy the great: Do you have anything constructive to offer this forum?
@Josh Hanners: he the Troll from delmonte who says No .
Billy the great
@Billythegreat9
Caution: This account is temporarily restricted
@Dr Richard DeWitt: what the hell are you on about, they took our money already & spent it on consultation which was a total waste of 80 million plus. Then they treated themselves to all sorts e.g. cars bonuses. On top of that rather than fix the leaks, they installed meters. All in all they have made a complete mess of it.
@Colette Kearns: Sorry, what money are you referring to? Are you seriously saying that the estimated 2 billion needed for the Irish water network has already been spent on needless construction, cars and bonuses? Also, in what serious organisation do you expect people to do a good job without the correct incentives? Should public servants work for free simply because they are paid from public funds?
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Read them above ..
IW is overstaffed, they like others get bonus for turning up for work FFS.
For most ordinary workers turning up and working hard is the bare minimum expected..
@Dr Richard DeWitt: A bunch of pen pushers will not fix any leaks. We don’t need to supply people with such luxuries in order to have a good water supply!
@Irish Bob: Really? Some of us get paid without even turning up. It’s about the value proposition; not to do with clocking in hours and producing product from raw material. Bonuses are but one mechanism to encourage alignment of the employee with the mission of the organisation – don’t think of it as some form of golden benefit, but rather as an incentive measure.
@Irish Bob: Thanks for that, but I’m sure you’ll forgive me for not relying wholeheartedly on an article written on this website.
@Colette Kearns: Pen pushers? Gosh, do you understand what management is? Do you know that Nike does not produce a single product itself worldwide? Instead it manages the process in countless manufacturing units – with “pen pusher” managers who I would say aren’t too shabby at it. I suppose you think the water problem would be solved overnight if you sent out a couple of thousand plumbers without anyone controlling the overall programme?
“Such luxuries”? A decent salary for a professionally-qualified person with experience, plus some peripherals like a modest bonus and a car allowance to cover use of one’s own car. These are normal. If you don’t have benefits like these, take it up with your employer rather than thinking that this is somewhat unusual and luxurious.
The new normal is to think that what was once accepted as normal is now outrageously exuberant. Think how air travel has changed in the past 50 years from something pleasant where you were treated humanely, to now being nothing more than worthless and bothersome self-loading cargo.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Well if you are casting doubt on the integrity of this website why the hell are you visiting it and making comments???? Plus as you very well know we already pay for water. The quango wasted hundreds of millions on everything from useless meters to a fleet of top spec Audi’s for their [lol] top executives and managers. Should have invested in the infrastructure before trying to bleed people with meters and charges which included a 100 euro bribe just to register. The quango as it now stands will never be accepted by the people, it has absolutely no credibility and should be wound up immediately.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Are you in management in the Public Service ?|
I worked for IW and the HSE in the past for another company, and I saw the wastage in these org’s.
It really shows your bias if you cant acknowledge the issues in both these
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Bonues in the private sector are earned based on performance reviews .. and you have to out perform you peers to get the best bonues and not everyone gets them, those with the lowest scores have to show improvements in the next rounds or face being laid off
We saw the reports over last few years of the Public/Civil servants in Ireland and everyone gets a bonus regardless.
@Dr Richard DeWitt: Salaries , Bonus’s , Cost … follow the money
There are 29 Irish Water staff earning over €100,000
http://www.thejournal.ie/29-irish-water-staff-are-earning-over-e100000-1279724-Jan2014/
@Dr Richard DeWitt:
Rabbitte: “There is no bonus culture in Bord Gáis – and won’t be in Irish Water”
http://www.thejournal.ie/rabbitte-says-no-bonus-culture-in-bord-gais-1277676-Jan2014/
THE MINISTER FOR Communications has hit back at suggestions there is a “bonus culture” at semi-state bodies.
Irish Water staff set to get pay rises – on top of bonuses
@The Risen:
Leakage is 45% nationally and 36% in Dublin.
2 billion figure is just wrong, it relates to nothing at this stage.
Setup Costs were 173m, which was 7 million under budget…
477m spent on meters (which have found 26,000 leaks so far…)
115million litres per day has been saved since 2014, because they have been (and still are) fixing leaks.
If privatisation was on the agenda, why would the government in 2014 pass a law that requires a national vote to be held (and passed) for even 1% of IW to be made private….?
Ongoing leak at Turners Cross in Cork for the past EIGHT WEEKS !
Water pouring across the street – reported to the quango but nothing done.
@eastsmer: Irish people get from Irish Water exactly what they pay for …..nothing. And please spare us the nonsense about ‘having already paid for it in my taxes’ line. Irish state set up ESB in the 1930′s and no one is daft enough to expect free non-metered electricity for ever.
@Brian Deane: I have also reported that leak at Turners Cross.
IW are not fixing leaks wheter peopole pay per use or not
@Brian Deane: Look at the state of the roads and we pay through our asses for motoring taxes.. We pay VRT, we pay something like 75% on every litre of fuel on tax. We also pay extortionate levels of motor tax compared to the UK but yet there are pot holes and sunken manholes all over the Country.. Are you actually that naive to think that even if we paid the water charges these so called shortages wouldn’t happen..
@eastsmer: How do you think a fake billing company is going to repair anything? They don’t do anything. The last few people in the country have copped onto this, except the resident simpletons on threads like this, constantly making complete fools of themselves in public, trying to defend this corrupt, fake and utterly pointless “company”.
ALREADY PAY FOR IT FROM MY TAX
Roundwood and Blesington reservoirs are both full. The only reservoir they use for news reports is a tiny one up in the Dublin mountains about the size of a bath. They pull the plug out a few hours before RTE show up to do their repeated scaremongering.
@Colm Vambeck: Yeah but they don’t really, do they?
Instead of putting these articles up without any investigation would The Journal head out to Sandyford, Rathfarnham or where any of the other Reservoirs are and take some pictures and put them up with your story.. Plenty of pictures on social media of full reservoirs..
@Travis: London have been getting a much worse heatwave. Not a reservoir in sight but the water is flowing. If IW at least owned up to the fact that it’s their mismanagement and persistence of leaks not getting addressed that’s causing issues, people might be more understanding of restrictions. When most countries get far less rainfall, have bigger populations and less reservoirs and yet the water flows freely, something doesn’t add up. People aren’t stupid, yet IW continue to act like they are with a narrative that just doesn’t add up.
@Travis: if they were empty there would be no water at all, the problem is the reservoirs are not able to replenishing quick enough from what is being consumed.
Yeah they look full but they are slowly emptying out and not filling up, once they are gone there will be nothing left.
No point bringing in a ban after they are empty.
@Travis:
Can someone share these reservoir pictures please? I have tried to search but have not come across any.
Yeah right, ‘critical’ my left one….
any sign of ‘tim pot’ with his stock slogans from irish water?
@We Love Katamari: no but tweety is covering for him today
@We Love Katamari: He is at home tearing the handle off his stomach to youtube clips of Tom Tierney.
@Ronan Sexton: *John
Yeah, hate that ‘Tin Pot’ guy!
http://novaramedia.com/2014/11/19/an-unmitigated-disaster-8-reasons-its-kicking-off-in-ireland/
5. Cronyism is being exposed again…
Denis O’Brien, Ireland’s second most famous tax exile, bought Siteserv, a company that specialises in installing water meters, from the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (a state-owned zombie bank) shortly before winning three separate contracts – each worth €62m – to install water meters on behalf of the state. Before the deal, Siteserv owed the IBRC (i.e. the Irish citizenry) €144m. O’Brien purchased the company for a mere €45m, while the state writing off the €100m difference – even though his offer wasn’t the highest bid received.
6. …and again…
John Tierney, managing director of Irish Water, caused outrage when he let slip the bonus scheme for the semi-state company’s employees, which could see them earning up to 14% extra on top of their salaries even if their performance is under par. Tierney himself was once the Dublin City Manager, and he was responsible for wasting €96m on the Poolbeg incinerator project, before being promoted into his current position.
7. …and again.
Both Jerry Grant, Irish Water’s head of asset management, and Elizabeth Arnett, head of communications and corporate services, previously worked for RPS Group, a consultancy firm that had advised the state in the setting up of Irish Water – part of a consultancy package that has so far cost the state €85m. RPS also made some €30m out of its consultancy contract on the Poolbeg project, a contract the European Commission described as “an illegal situation.”
Lol lol . What a Country ! They are truly takin the piss now . If I didn’t have my tinfoil hat on, I’d swear they were upto something …
@DMur: the fact that this post got 17 upvotes already does speak a lot of the type of people in this country
@Tweety McTweeter: You could say the same about the result of the last two general elections, we must all be naive fools.
Why aren’t the reservoirs filled with 100,000s of thousands of those plastic balls to help stop the water evaporating, especially in a heatwave, they’re called Shade Balls, every little bit helps right?
Oh and Irish Water, could you be a dear and ask the council workers to fix the leaks and repair the pipes, it would help an awful lot
Oh and maybe ban car washes altogether, there is no regulations on that part of the industry, it’s disheartening that we all conserve water, reusing our cooking water, taking shorter showers, reusing shower water and then you pass by a car wash. It’s a bit demoralising to be honest.
@Lisa Byrne: yes, good idea until all those compo claims that will come in from around the country where people have nearly choked to death on white balls. Mark my words…
@M: you can’t choke on them, they are far to big, even for the biggest of loud mouths
Pissing rain,and iw still scaremongering.FIX THE LEAKS!!!
@@mdmak33:
Mr. Rain takes a little while to travel from the sky to your drinking tap.
IW are fixing leaks…
Here is a handy map to show you where..
https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/our-projects/
No rain in the UK for almost 8 weeks now, temperatures in excess of 25 degrees. 70 million population and still no hose pipe ban. Ireland needs to pull the finger out, fix the leaks and build more waste water treatment plants
@Herbert:
#Incorrect
Hosepipe Ban starting Sunday week north of England…
https://www.unitedutilities.com/emergencies/hosepipe-ban-on-the-way2/
Fixing leaks has already begun, and so has commissioning of new treatment plants…
Since 2014, 115 million litres per day has been saved and 5 new plants have been commissioned or upgraded.
All can be checked here as usual… https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/
Nope, not having it. The car wash in the Texaco beside me is going all day long. I’ll preserve more water when that thing gets turned off.
@Decko Kelly: So you think there can’t be a water shortage because you saw someone else not conserving water?
@Dr. X (Official Continuity Faction): I see a really good place to conserve a lot of water and they have no intention of acting on that they would rather stop households from functioning properly.
@Decko Kelly: Yip its fine to use water and make a profit from it .. but not to use to wash your own car with a hose
@Dr. X (Official Continuity Faction): there can be but water conservation needs a herd mentality everyone needs to do their bit, imagine spending all week conserving water, doing everything you possibly can, no little paddling pool for your kids etc etc and then you drive by a car wash…it would make you annoyed and less likely to conserve water
@Lisa Byrne: Ireland has the lowest water consumption per capita in Europe .. In fact we should all be drinking more water.
@Lisa Byrne: Exactly. It makes my blood boil when I see posts like this and look out the window and see up to 5 cars waiting to be washed.
@Irish Bob: No we are average 110 litres per head.
@Tim Pot:
No we are average, 110 litres per head.
(comma is important)
Pity they don’t include businesses in their hosepipe van.
@Niall Sheridan: yeah like farmers an all. Planning on eating much food are you?
@Niall Sheridan: Businesses are on a metered water supply which means they pay for what they use much like gas, electricity. The fact that something is metered and paid for usually provides an incentive to conserve it, much like the way in which most householders are unlikely to leave all the lights and appliances on. On the other hand, water is FREE (paid for by others) which means that there is no incentive to conserve.
@Brian Deane: Some pay for water in Rates .. My fathers buisness rates was increased, as were many others many years ago on the premise the increase was going to play to fix water infrastructure, but as per the IW PR bull it wasnt.
@Brian Deane: Everybody pays for water so why do you assume its free? Most people I know are conserving water as they realise this is their civic duty. The biggest wasters of water are the quango through not fixing the leaks in the mains. Stop telling porkies mate.
@Frank Cauldhame:
I’m afraid it is you who is telling the porkies as IW are fixing leaks…
Here is a handy map to show you where..
https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/our-projects/
@Tim Pot: By metering private houses? Plus your link is from the quangos website, lol.
you all know that rain does not correlate with clean usable water. I know some of you think that clean water is “free” and it just falls from the sky. The dole is not free either- somebody has to pay……
@Babuso.ie: Water is free if you are a private company
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DVxnOKtW0AM3QHe.jpg:large
@eastsmer: whats that got to do with the price of cabbage?
@eastsmer: do they have their own well?? If they do, this is not free. Infrastructure has to be paid for and maintained.
What a country…
IW sound like a Nigerian prince…. if you give your bank account details you can fill a paddling pool!
@Hello DAVE!: Excellent …
This is the first I’ve heard about the hosepipe ban. I haven’t been online for the past few weeks because I’ve been out in the garden drinking cider, getting stoned, enjoying the sun, and watering my crops to stop them from drying out. Looks like the dry spell is a lot worse than I thought.
Hopefully, this bit of rain lasts for at least a few days. I’ve only just about managed to save all of my plants and even then, they’re not anywhere near as big as this time last year. I’ll have to go to a lake and fill up a few tanks from there if the water runs out.
I’ll definitely be increasing my water reserves and planting extra crops next year, just in case we have another summer like this one. I’m glad I’m not an Irish Water customer; I don’t know what I’d do if I was.
A hosepipe ban and come December they’ll be bringing people along the Shannon basin out in boats…. we had scorchers when I was a kid in the 70’s and we never needed Bord Uisce Beatha to threaten us…..! F F S !
It’s raining as I write. Quite a downpour too. Should be watching a lunar eclipse but reckon that’s not going to happen.
Do people realise that August is suppose to be a wet month and normally the next wet month after August is November?
It’s feckin lashing outside.
A 2 by 3 mt tarpulan filled a 3gallon bucket in 5 mins , I’ll collect more for iw if they want it ,my 600 litre water butt is full ,why didn’t they tell everyone to get water butts on the six one news and keep tap water for cups of tea,ps a watering can can be used to flush a toilet every bit as good as a cistern.
Just a pity so much tax payers money is being spent on stupid things like art on our roundabouts. The one up by the Cork Airport must have cost a fortune the time it took. The foundations that were out in you could build a multistorey building on! Pathways that one or two people might use. Don’t know how much thought and planning go into these things.
have your say