Agreement has been reached on the establishment of an all-party committee, which will be tasked with developing a 10-year vision for healthcare.

The committee will have a number of jobs, including:
-Examining existing demands on health services and forecasting future demand
-Examining and recommending a changed model of healthcare that focuses on prevention and early intervention, self-management and primary care services
-Examining different funding models for the health service and having these models fully costed.

The committee membership will be made up of three members appointed by Fine Gael, three by Fianna Fáil, two by Sinn Féin, one by the Labour Party and five members representing the independent deputies and members from other political parties.

It will meet ‘as frequently as appropriate to meet its remit', the Department of Health said.

"I am pleased that the Government has agreed to move ahead quickly to establish this committee and to get it up and running in the coming weeks. I believe the health service would benefit enormously from a single unifying vision that we can all get behind and that can help to drive reform and development of the system over the next 10 years," commented the Minister for Health, Simon Harris.

The news was welcomed by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), however it warmed that this new committee could be used as a delaying tactic for urgently needed investment.

"Attempts to develop a long-term plan for the health services are to be welcomed, but must not in any way distract from the urgent need to increase resources immediately in order to tackle the pressing problems that are impacting on patients and staff today.

"A 10-year plan sounds excellent but we also need a realistic immediate plan to tackle current issues," commented IMO president, Dr John Duddy.

The IMO said that it will ‘engage proactively' with the committee in order to ensure that this does not lead to simply ‘another report for the shelves'.

"The IMO will also seek to ensure that any report produced by this committee is accompanied by a comprehensive financial analysis and a commitment that the required funds be ring fenced and protected," the organisation added.