The Health Service Executive (HSE) manages all of the public health services in Ireland including personal social services.
The HSE services are delivered through:
The health services include:
The HSE is also responsible for community care and personal social services to help people remain living in their communities, especially when they have difficulties doing so because of illness, disability or age. These include:
The HSE also has a role in preventing infectious diseases when they occur.
Starting in 2024, the HSE services will be organised into 6 health regions. Each region will manage all integrated health services in its area. By the end of 2024, the current hospital groups and community healthcare services (CHOs) will merge into these new health regions.
The HSE will be responsible for nationally delivered clinical and supporting services and nationally consistent standards and guidelines.
The Department of Health will be responsible for setting health policy and strategy and overseeing health funding.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) will be responsible for policy, legislation and funding for specialist community-based disability services.
You can read about the current divisions, hospital groups and community healthcare services below. This page will be updated as the new health regions come into effect.
The HSE delivers health and social care services through National Service Delivery Divisions that deliver services to the public through:
The Acute Hospitals Division works directly with acute hospitals across the country. Public hospitals are organised into 7 Hospital Groups – see below.
The Social Care Division supports people to live independently who may have difficulty in doing so due to illness or disability. The HSE delivers these services directly or through agencies funded by the HSE.
The Mental Health Division aims to provide mental health services by area. Services may be through inpatient centres or community-based teams. These include:
The Primary Care Division ensures that most people who need healthcare are cared for outside of hospital within primary care, such as through their family doctor (GP) and in the community.
The Health and Wellbeing Division focuses on protecting and improving health such as:
Acute hospital services are provided through 7 hospital groups:
The hospitals in each group work together to provide acute care for patients and work with health and social care services in the community.
Local smaller hospitals can deliver care where appropriate. Specialised and complex care is provided in larger hospitals.
The HSE provides Community healthcare services locally within the community and include:
These services are delivered to people in local communities through the HSE and its funded agencies.
There are 9 Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) that deliver services in primary care and community-based services. The CHOs are:
You can access community health and personal social services through one of the 32 Local Health Offices and local health centres around the country.
The Local Health Offices and health centres provide services such as:
You can access hospital services through your GP or family doctor, except for Accident and Emergency services.