Cabinet ministers are set to approve a major restructuring of the HSE this morning.
It would establish six regional healthcare centres instead of the current centralised system.
It would be the most significant shake-up of the HSE's structures since it was founded in 2005 - and represent a return to a similar system to the one the executive replaced.
The idea behind centralising the structure was that the HSE would cut down on repetition of services and make things more efficient - but that hasn't happened.
Under the new proposals six regional health boards will be set up, likely in rough geographical lines with the current hospital groups system.
Each will have its own budget based on the population of the area it covers.
The boards will take over more power, allowing doctors and management in the regions more say over what happens locally.
The Government hopes it will improve accountability and governance while empowering frontline staff.
We're awaiting more details on how these regional boards will be structured, whether redundancies will be needed in areas that double up, and how long it will take to phase in.
The move is part of Sláintecare - the ten-year plan for the health service - and has broad support across political parties.
