New health forum to raise local concerns

The new Regional Health Forum South West has held its first meeting at Cork County Hall.

The forum gives local councillors a direct voice with the HSE. It allows members of local authorities to raise questions and put forward motions to senior health officials in the region.

The South West forum is made up of elected members from Cork County Council, Cork City Council and Kerry local authorities.

At the meeting, Independent Cork County Councillor Finbarr Harrington was elected Chair. He said he was honoured to take on the role: “I am very grateful to the members of the forum to serve as its Chair for the year ahead. This empowers us as local representatives to voice the concerns of our communities, as well as insights and suggestions we believe could add to the delivery and development of health services in Cork and Kerry.”

Cllr Harrington also paid tribute to outgoing chair, Fianna Fáil Cllr Ann Marie Ahern, thanking her for her dedication and service in leading the previous forum.

Meanwhile, Cork City Cllr John Sheehan – a general practitioner based in Blackpool and a Fianna Fáil city councill – was elected Vice Chair of the new forum.

The Regional Health Forums were first established under the Health Act 2004. Recently, they have been restructured at national level to align with the HSE’s move towards six new Regional Health Areas.

The new South West Forum will now act as a key link between communities in Cork and Kerry and senior HSE officials, ensuring local issues and priorities are heard at the top level of the health service.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.