Published: Friday, 27th January, 2012 1:30pm

One budget and one CEO for midlands hospital group?

Tullamore hospital will become part of a group of hospitals with one chief executive as part of plans announced on Wednesday by Health Minister James Reilly.

It's likely that Tullamore, Mullingar and Portlaoise will be clustered together in a midlands grouping, with a single budget and a single CEO.

According to HSE Area Communications Manager Dymphna Bracken, no decisions have been made regarding the make-up of the hospital's grouping nor has a timeline for the formation of the group been put in place.

The major change in the organisation of hospitals nationwide was one of four announced on Wednesday "aimed at securing further real improvements on behalf of patients".

Other changes announced included clinical programmes and the national cancer control programme moving to the Department of Health and a new programme office set up there too.

New targets were also set for the Special Delivery Unit including a reduction in maximum wait times for elective treatments from twelve months to nine.

The plan also said nobody should be longer than nine hours on a trolley but 95% of people should be no longer than six hours on one and that these new targets should be met by December 31, 2012 or earlier.

A hospital grouping is already in place in the west of Ireland, including Galway University Hospital, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe and Roscommon General Hospital.

Mid-western regional hospitals at Limerick. Ennis and Nenagh also work in a group with Croom orthopaedic hospital and St John's Hospice in Limerick. The principles applying to these structures, which include a single budget, will be rolled out to other groups formed across the country. The chief executive will be in charge of organising services across the group's hospitals in each case.