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Laura Magahy is now the executive director of Sláintecare Sasko Lazarov/Rollingnews.ie

Woman who led Temple Bar's 1990s revival chosen to lead Irish healthcare's transformation

Laura Magahy has led some other major Irish projects over the years.

THE TAOISEACH AND Health Minister have announced the appointment of Laura Magahy as executive director of the new 10-year plan to transform the Irish health service.

Magahy will head up Sláintecare, the long mooted vision for how the future of Ireland’s healthcare service, which was trumpeted as a “health service available to everyone” when TDs launched their report on it last year.

She has previously headed up significant projects such as the €1 billion urban renewal of Temple Bar in the 1990s, and the €284 million development of the Mater in the early 2000s.

Minister Simon Harris said Magahy’s appointment today was an “important step” in the “long-term process” of changing Irish healthcare.

What is Sláintecare?

The Sláintecare report, published by the Oireachtas committee on the future of healthcare in May 2017, came almost a year after TDs and Senators first began considering proposals.

It proposed an additional €2.8 billion investment in the health service over the next 10 years, with improvements in a number of areas, such as removing hospital inpatient charges, expansion to primary care services, social care expansion and additional mental health services.

Speaking when the report was announced, committee chair Róisín Shortall told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: “It’s about access that’s not dependent on what you have in your pocket.”

Despite this high cost, “you have to factor in considerable savings that will arise in the new model of care”, Shortall said.

Minister Harris said at the time that the country is now at its “last chance of this generation to get this right and take the politics out of health”.

Laura Magahy

Magahy will take the reins as executive director of the Sláintecare Programme Office at a time when a number of measures included in the report had already been acted upon, the Department of Health said.

It said that an independent group is already examining issues around private practice in public hospitals, negotiations over a new GP contract had been commenced and a national development plan proposing investment of €10.9 billion in the health service had been published.

As well as her work on the Temple Bar renewal and the Mater Hospital, Magahy and her company MCO have worked on a number of healthcare projects in recent years.

Between 2002 and 2005, she worked with the HSE/St Vincent’s Healthcare Group Board on the €22 million new ward block building which included a dedicated cystic fibrosis unit.

She was also project director on the Great Northern Haven Intelligent Lifetime Homes Project, to deliver sensor-enabled homes and community accommodation in Dundalk.

Magahy will be joined by Dr Tom Keane, who will chair the Sláintecare Advisory Council.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that their appointments “signal the government’s continuing commitment to improving and modernising our health services”.

“Laura and Tom bring a wealth of experience and expertise to these roles, having been instrumental leaders in many major change initiatives,” he said.

In a statement, Magahy said she was “honoured” to take a role on a project that “provides a real opportunity to transform health services over the coming decade”.

“I’m committed to building on the foundation of consensus that has brought Sláintecare to this point, and to working with all stakeholders to make the vision set out in the Sláintecare report a reality,” she added.

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29 Comments
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    Mute Greg Ward
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    Jul 12th 2018, 4:34 PM

    So we can look forward to a Temple Bar health care system? The petrifying haunting wails of the undead. The bewildered roaming at 2am. Smell of wee-wee throughout. Doesn’t sound dissimilar to what we have at present.

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    Mute Sean Mac Giolla
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    Jul 12th 2018, 6:18 PM

    Previously was chair of committee overseeing the proposed new children’s hospital at the Mater….that disaster doesn’t augur well for her new role…..

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    Mute Boyne Sharky
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    Jul 12th 2018, 9:20 PM

    @Sean Mac Giolla: Indeed. It begs the question who, if any, other candidates were considered for the role and why was it felt she was the most suitable, also what are the terms of her contract.

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    Mute Daithí Ó Coinnigh
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    Jul 12th 2018, 9:53 PM

    @Sean Mac Giolla: maybe try read the article again.

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    Mute Charliegrl80
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    Jul 12th 2018, 4:50 PM

    I went to Temple bar once and wouldn’t go back there again, its a cesspit of d*rugs, v*omit, wee, people falling all over the place and very vulnerable young girls on their own drunk at night. Goodness help us if this is what’s fit to transform our health service, there really is no hope at all for us as citizens of this Country.

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    Mute minorproblem
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    Jul 12th 2018, 4:59 PM

    @Charliegrl80: sounds good… we go?

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    Mute Ted Murray
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    Jul 12th 2018, 5:19 PM

    @Charliegrl80: … so it’s basically a giant open-air A&E department?

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    Mute EillieEs
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    Jul 13th 2018, 2:18 AM

    @Charliegrl80: there might be a lot of negatives about Temple Bar but at least it wasn’t flattened to make way for a bus depot as had been the plan.

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    Mute Martin Sinnott
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    Jul 12th 2018, 4:39 PM

    Hope she dose a good job for €170k a year

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    Mute Michael Ahern
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    Jul 12th 2018, 6:11 PM

    I wish her every success. The administration side of the HSE needs a thorough review and any freed up resources used in patient healthcare.

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    Mute Tony Shaw
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    Jul 12th 2018, 7:58 PM

    There will be no reform of the health service as long as HSE middle management are protected from non performance sanctions under the 1927 Ministerial Responsibility Act.

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 12th 2018, 5:07 PM

    Please let this be the beginning of better things to come in the way medical care is delivered to everyone in this country; and not just another tax money wasting disappointment.

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    Mute Joseph Ryan
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    Jul 12th 2018, 4:58 PM

    At least there is a plan now and it will be delivered.

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    Mute P Quinn
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    Jul 12th 2018, 5:07 PM

    @Joseph Ryan: ya like Eoghan Murphy’s plan for housing and the homeless?! I’ll believe it when I see it. It certainly won’t be this government that deliver it. They’d privatise our health service tomorrow if they ever got a majority.

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    Mute Austin Rock
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    Jul 12th 2018, 6:16 PM

    @Joseph Ryan: Nothing like a bit of optimism not sure what its based on but sure nothing could be worse than what we have now (says I crossing my fingers and toes).

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 12th 2018, 8:23 PM

    On another note, from the above picture, Laura Magahy looks kind of like Marge Simpson. She should fit right in with Simon “Monty Burns” Harris and Leo “Homer Simpson” Varadker.

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    Mute Dan Heany
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    Jul 13th 2018, 12:26 AM

    @Ron O’Keefe: and you look like a fatter caitlyn jenner… hmm

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    Mute Dan Heany
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    Jul 13th 2018, 12:28 AM

    @Ron O’Keefe: rather look like marge simpson than you

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    Mute Ron O'Keefe
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    Jul 13th 2018, 8:07 AM

    @Dan Heany: Not sure how you can tell that with no picture available, but ok. Sorry if the fact that I think she looks a little like Marge Simpson bothers you. I just thought it was kind of ironic given that Simon has taken on a Mr Burns quality and Leo a Homer like quality, in pictures. But if that bothers you that I see it that way, I guess you will just have to lump it.

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    Mute Paul Laing
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    Jul 12th 2018, 5:58 PM

    Time has flown by since the Temple Bar development shenanigans.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Jul 12th 2018, 10:28 PM

    Haughey’s protégé.

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    Mute Tony Lyons
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    Jul 12th 2018, 10:37 PM

    Social media is a great place for negative people are there anyone with something positive to say

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    Mute Passing through this life
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    Jul 13th 2018, 9:57 AM

    @Tony Lyons: In order to say something positive …… there has to be something positive to say, neither her history, or the performance of this government leaves a lot of room for people to take that approach.

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    Mute William Behan
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    Jul 13th 2018, 2:02 PM

    A property developer has been chosen as Sláintecare Executive Director.
    Now, who would have guessed that!
    Previous involvement the healthcare system was with the politically planned Mater site for the national children’s hospital: That was never going to be a runner due to no patient access.

    Delighted Dr Tom Keane is on board – excellent reputation for getting to the nub of a problem (when he is given the funding and autonomy to to so).

    Note: Sláintecare is still planing for GP consultation numbers workload that is 40% less than reality and recent (IMO) reliable @ESRIDublin assessment of GP consultation rates does not consider the explosion in medical and administrative complexity over the last decade.

    Wait for the crash!

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    Mute Ruairi Fahy
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    Jul 13th 2018, 11:38 PM

    Draining the Shannon is more likely to be successful than Slantycare.

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    Mute Tim O'Connell
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    Jul 22nd 2018, 1:20 PM

    Tainted with the scandal of “Bertiebowl”; an insider who already has a cosy relationship with the HSE.

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