Health Board (Ireland)
| Bord Sláinte | |
Logo of the Eastern Health Board
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| Publicly funded health service overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1970 |
| Dissolved | 1 January 2005 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Ireland |
| Parent department | Department of Health |
| Key document |
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The Health Board system of Ireland was created by the 1970 Health Act. This system was initially created with eight health boards, each of which were prescribed a functional area in which they operated. The system was reformed in 1999 from eight to eleven regional bodies.
On 1 January 2005, the health boards were replaced by the Health Service Executive.
Prior to the advent of the health board system, the 1947 Health Act was the principal legislation on the State's role in the provision of healthcare in Ireland; this was the act that served as the legislative basis for the Mother and Child Scheme, which was later withdrawn under Church and doctor opposition.
Under the 1947 act, the health authority for a functional area was the city council or county council of that area. This reflected the fact that until 1947, the Minister for Local Government and Public Health was responsible for public health, and in that year, the Minister for Health was created as a separate Minister of the Government by the 1946 Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act.
In 1970, the healthcare system of Ireland was still very much a private and voluntary system with the Catholic Church still retaining effective control of healthcare, in particular the ownership of hospitals and institutions. Doctors served very much in a sole trader capacity with the state taking few responsibilities beyond the organisation of the provision of healthcare to the disadvantaged.
In 1970, the Health Boards Regulations were made under the Health Act, 1970 and defined among other things the functional area, membership and composition of each health board. Each health board was headed by a chief executive officer and more often assisted by an "ad hoc" management team consisting of professionals who were public servants.
In the late 1990s, the counties of Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow represented almost half of the population of the state and had only one health board, the Eastern Health Board. The rest of the state was served by seven health boards, each with a designated functional area. The 1999 Health (Eastern Regional Health Authority) Act was introduced and dissolved the Eastern Health Board and created four bodies in its place, thus bringing to eleven the number of regional health authorities and boards.
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