This report is the HSE’s response to the Horwath and Teamwork Review of acute services in\ud
Cork and Kerry1. That review called for “a fundamental reconfiguration of the acute care\ud
system and processes, together with redeployment of existing resources, in order to optimise\ud
care in terms of effectiveness, quality, sustainability and affordability”. So this document\ud
proposes far reaching change for the HSE in Cork and Kerry: it is about where, what, when\ud
and how the acute hospitals can do their work more efficiently and more effectively; about\ud
genuinely advancing the interests of patients. It is also about harnessing the enormous\ud
potential of research and innovation to create new therapies, new medical devices and future\ud
economic growth for this region. Why is this also important? It is important because our\ud
healthcare system in Cork and Kerry must not only follow the future; it must shape the future.\ud
If it builds a dynamic partnership with its third level institutions and with the pharma and\ud
medical devices industries in the Cork region – the largest concentration of such industries in\ud
Europe – it can actually do that: it can become an international player in healthcare delivery\ud
and healthcare innovation