Press release
Catherine McGuigan appointed as Chairperson of the Reference Group for the Commission on Care for Older People
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Professor Alan Barrett, Chairman of the Commission on Care for Older People has appointed Catherine McGuigan, Chief Officer of Age Friendly Ireland, as Chairperson of the Reference Group for the Commission on Care for Older People.
The Reference Group will be a focal point for the Commission’s wider engagement with stakeholders.
The Reference Group will consist of non-governmental and civil society organisations and other key stakeholders working in the area, including those with lived experience. The Group will engage in an advisory capacity with the Commission and with the Cross-Departmental Group which will be established under its auspices. It will provide a communication pathway between the Commission and wider society.
Professor Barrett commented:
"I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Catherine McGuigan as Chairperson of the Reference Group for the Commission on Care for Older People. She brings a wealth of expertise and wide-ranging experience of engaging with key leaders across civil, public, private, community and voluntary sectors as well as of consulting democratically with people to inform and reshape the way in which services are delivered."
Minister Butler stated:
"I welcome Catherine’s appointment as Chairperson of the Reference Group. Catherine has a great track record including her leadership of Age Friendly Ireland. In December 2019 after a decade of work, Ireland was formally recognised by the World Health Organisation as the first Age Friendly country in the world.
"Catherine’s leadership and experience will be invaluable in ensuring the voice of older people will inform the work of the Commission."
Responding to her appointment, Ms McGuigan stated:
"I am looking forward to engaging with people from across society to ensure their views and voices are heard and communicated appropriately in the development of the Commission’s recommendations to the government."
Acknowledging the disproportionately negative impact of the pandemic on older people, the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future (2020) commits to the establishment of ‘a commission to examine care and supports for older people.’
On 3 October 2023, Government approved the proposal, brought forward by the Minister for Health and the Minister for Mental Health and Older People, for the establishment of a Commission on Care for Older People.
The independent Commission, chaired by Professor Alan Barrett, was formally established on 21 March 2024 to examine the provision of health and social care services, and supports for older people and make recommendations to the government for their strategic development.
Subsequently, a cross-departmental group will be established under the auspices of the Commission to consider whether the supports for positive ageing across the life-course are fit-for-purpose and to develop a costed implementation plan for options to optimise these supports.
Engagement and collaboration with stakeholders (inclusive of representatives from across Government and civil society) is a central component of the work of the Commission.
The Commission is an independent commission, and its work will be supported by a Secretariat from the Department of Health.
The Terms of Reference for the Reference Group were adopted on 20 May during the third meeting of the Commission on Care for Older People.
Age Friendly Ireland is the organisation responsible for the national Age Friendly Programme, affiliated to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. The programme involves a multiagency, multi-sectoral approach to age-related planning and service provision. Age Friendly Ireland supports cities and counties to be more inclusive of older people by addressing their expressed concerns and interests under the eight domains of liveability of the WHO’s global programme.
Age Friendly Ireland operates as a shared service centre of local government hosted by Meath County Council. The shared service centre supports a network of 31 local Age Friendly Programmes which are led by local authorities and which involve many stakeholders from other public bodies, universities, community/voluntary and private sector partners. The shared service supports a number of strategic national structures and provides technical guidance to its networks.