HSE restructures rare infectious disease care, shifting delivery to regional teams

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is undertaking a significant operational change in Ireland’s infectious disease care framework, transitioning the delivery of critical biologics for rare but serious conditions—such as rabies, botulism, and diphtheria—from a centralised Dublin-led role to regional health teams.

Previously managed informally by Dr Seamus O’Dea, who acted as the primary national point for treatment coordination, the service is being redistributed to strengthen regional resilience and reduce reliance on single-point expertise. The move is intended to streamline logistics, improve local access, and standardise clinical response pathways.

For suppliers, pharmaceutical partners, and healthcare logistics providers, the restructuring signals new opportunities and requirements in supply chain management, cold-chain storage, and rapid distribution solutions—particularly for out-of-hours and emergency cases. Industry stakeholders are advised to align with updated national guidelines and engage with designated regional centres to ensure uninterrupted delivery of time-critical biologics.

This transition underscores a growing emphasis on decentralised healthcare delivery models in Ireland, with implications for procurement contracts, service-level agreements, and emergency stockholding strategies across the infectious disease sector.

Read the full article to understand what this transition means for patient safety and infectious disease response.