Health Minister Dr. James Reilly has appointed a new Interim Executive Board of the HSE, which, he says, will run the health services in a more effective manner “with greater emphasis on service delivery, more integration and less duplication”.
He says the new board will see senior figures from the Department of Health and from the HSE, including clinicians, establish a new, more direct line of accountability between the management of the health services and the Minister for Health. The board will be chaired by Dr. Frank Dolphin who has accepted Minister Reilly’s request to remain as chair until its later dissolution.
Minister Reilly made the announcement of the appointments following discussions with the Chairman and CEO of the HSE and the Secretary General of the Department of Health.
Dr. Reilly has also asked the CEO and the Secretary General to review the existing senior management roles and responsibilities in both organisations, to address any duplication of functions and explore the scope for more conjoint working. “I want to develop strong and coherent governance arrangements for the entire healthcare system which will continue to operate after the abolition of the existing legal governance structure” said Dr. Reilly.
The Department of Health says the new Interim Executive Board will meet with greater frequency and will discharge all of the relevant requirements of the HSE board as set out in law. However in addition, the direct relationships established will form the bedrock of the present and future connection between the Minister for Health and those persons charged with managing our health services.
Minister Reilly has made clear that he intends to introduce legislation to formally remove the legal requirement for a separate board of the HSE, but even when the board structure is dissolved, the resource represented by this group of people will be pivotal into the future.
The members of the new Interim HSE Board are:
- Dr. Frank Dolphin, Chairman
- Mr. Cathal Magee, Chief Executive Officer, HSE
- Mr. Michael Scanlan, Secretary General, Department of Health
- Dr. Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health
- Mr. Paul Barron, Assistant Secretary, Primary Care & Eligibility, Department of Health
- Ms. Bairbre NicAongusa, Director, Office for Disability & Mental
- Health & Citizen Participation, Department of Health
- Dr. Barry White, HSE National Director, Clinical Strategy & Programmes
- Dr. Philip Crowley, HSE National Director, Quality, Risk & Clinical Care
- Ms. Laverne McGuinness, HSE National Director, Integrated Services-Performance & Financial Management
- Mr. Brian Gilroy, HSE National Director, Integrated Services – Reconfiguration.
- The remaining two vacancies will be filled in the near future.
