Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, today announced the establishment of a Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group (EAG).

The Expert Group will initially focus on identifying learnings from the public health components of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland with a view towards strengthening health protection generally and future public health pandemic preparedness specifically. The Expert Group will also identify lessons from international best practice regarding reform and strengthening of other core public health functions, including the promotion of health and wellbeing, population health research and health intelligence and health service improvement. The Expert Group will then examine the key components of the existing delivery model(s) for public health in Ireland, with a view to recommending an appropriate operating model to develop and oversee the delivery of Public Health in Ireland into the future.

This multifaceted operating model will seek to ensure that whole-of-government and cross-agency arrangements are such as to ensure:

• the optimum prevention and control of infectious diseases and other health threats
• alignment of core public health functions, including the promotion of health and wellbeing, population health research and health intelligence and health service improvement
• alignment across local and national government and across public and third sectors such that every individual and sector of society can play their part in achieving a healthy Ireland
• participation of Ireland in the future development and strengthening of a European Health Union

Minister Donnelly said:
"While Ireland continues to respond to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to learn lessons both from the Irish and international public health response to COVID-19. This can ensure the development of a fast, dynamic and agile, integrated and intelligence-led public health response to future health threats, while also ensuring that we have a fit for purpose model of public health which promotes and protects public health in its broadest sense and which makes best use of data and evidence."

Minister Feighan said:
"Our research has found that the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired us, as individuals, to become more health aware and eager to proactively maintain a healthy lifestyle. By identifying the key learnings from the past two years of this pandemic, both nationally and internationally, we can only strengthen our core health functions, including the promotion of health and wellbeing and our health services generally. I look forward to the findings of the EAG and how they can assist the delivery of Healthy Ireland’s objectives."

The Expert Group’s work will be progressed through the Chairpersonship of Professor Hugh Brady, President-designate of Imperial College London, current Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol and former President of University College Dublin.

Membership of the Expert Group is comprised of national and international experts with experience across a range of key domains, including: public health, health protection, epidemiology, senior public health service leadership, change management, & risk and evidence communication. The Expert Group will produce a final report, which will be submitted to the Minister for Health by mid-2022. The Expert Group will hold its initial meeting in January 2022.

The Department of Health has implemented significant changes in public health in the last twelve months including:

• progressing a new consultant-led "Public Health Model" for Ireland, creating 84 consultant posts in public health for the first time ever. Recruitment is underway and progress is being made in filling these posts
• Minister Donnelly announced and funded plans to double the public health workforce, including public health doctors, public health nurses, scientists and support staff. The latest figures (December 2021) show that 178 of those posts have been filled and others are close to being filled
• the introduction of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act designed to restrict price promotions of alcohol products. Provisions under the act are now being implemented