HomeSeptember 2013News from around your health services

News from around your health services

New HSE Directors of Performance and Integration

The HSE has appointed four new Regional Directors for Performance and Integration (RDPIs).

Gerry O’Dwyer
Mr. Gerry O’Dwyer has been appointed as RDPI for the HSE South. He was previously HSE Regional Director of Operations for Dublin Mid Leinster.
Angela Fitzgerald
Ms. Angela Fitzgerald has been appointed RDPI for Dublin North East. She was previously Deputy Chief Executive of St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.
David Walsh
Mr. David Walsh has been appointed RDPI for Dublin Mid Leinster. He was previously HSE Area Manager Dublin South West/Kildare/West Wicklow.
Gerry O'Neill
Mr. Gerry O’Neill has been appointed RDPI for HSE West. He was previously HSE Area Manager for the HSE Dublin South Central.

The HSE said the RDPIs will play a key role in the performance and integration of services at regional level, and ultimately will act as commissioning/contract managers within the Healthcare Agency. They will also, on an interim basis, take on the full range of delegated operational responsibilities previously held by the Regional Directors for Operations (RDOs), reporting directly to the relevant National Director for individual service areas.

New Children’s Hospital Group Board

The Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly, T.D. has announced the following appointment of nine members to the Children’s Hospital Group Board.

John Hennessy
John Hennessy

Mr. John Hennessy (representing the Chair of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin) is Chairman of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) since 2011 and has more than 30 years’ experience in the private sector, working in the telecommunications industry.  On graduating from college in 1973, John joined the Swedish multinational telecommunications company, Ericsson, and has held a number of senior international positions and was appointed Managing Director of Ericsson Ireland from 2003 until he became Chairman in 2010.  John has been a member of various Government advisory boards through his involvement in the Irish Business and Employer Confederation (IBEC).  John is also a board member of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), Deputy Chairman and board member of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Chairman of the Chartered Directors Network, and board member of St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.  John holds an M.Sc. and is a Chartered Director.

Michael Scanlan
Michael Scanlan

Mr. Michael Scanlan is Chair of the Tallaght Hospital Board.  He is a former Secretary General of the Department of Health.  Prior to joining the Department of Health, he was an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Finance with responsibility for public expenditure policy in the health sector and a number of other areas.  He was educated at Templeogue College and joined the civil service in 1973.  He moved to the then Department of the Public Service in 1979 and dealt at various stages with public service pay, conditions, pensions and training.  He served as Secretary to the “Gleeson” and “Buckley” Review Bodies The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector.

Mr. Sean Sheehan is Chair of the Board of Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street.  He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants.  He joined Brother Ireland in 1987 as Financial Controller, having worked at senior management level in the hotel/catering and agricultural business sectors also.  Prior to joining Brother, Sean was a locum Accounts and Finance Director at Temple Street, Children’s University Hospital.  Sean has extensive skills in financial planning, strategic planning and change management.  He has a broad range of business skills and became Managing Director of the Irish subsidiary of Brother International in 1994 until his retirement in March 2013.

Dr. Jim Shmerling, Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Hospital, Colorado since January 2007, has 33 years of leadership experience in children’s hospitals.  His most recent position was as the Chief Executive Officer of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.  Dr. Shmerling serves as Chairman of the Board of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and is Chair-Elect of Children’s Hospital Association.  Dr. Shmerling earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education from the University of Tennessee, his Master of Science Degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, his Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Samford University and his Doctoral Degree in Health Administration and Policy from the Medical University of South Carolina.  He is a Fellow in the College of Health Care Executives and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Hospital Administration program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Dr. Shmerling is from Nashville, Tennessee and he and his wife have four children.

Ms. Catherine Guy is Managing Partner of law firm, Byrne Wallace.  She has over 20 years experience as a solicitor and over her career has worked in a number of practice areas.  She specialises in commercial property development projects and prior to her appointment as Managing Partner in June 2012, she was Head of the Firms’ Property and Construction Department, working with a wide range of clients on large scale commercial investment and development projects.   Catherine is married with two children.

Ms. Cathriona Hallahan is General Manager of Microsoft Ireland.  Microsoft Ireland is one of the few bases outside Richmond which is home to all aspects of Microsoft business from operations, distribution and sales and marketing to development and localisation.  She was previously Managing Director of EMEA Operations for Microsoft.  She also sits on the executive council of the Irish Dance Council and is a non-executive director of VHI, chair of its Audit Committee and member of its Cost Committee.  She is a former council member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and was Business Woman of the Year in 2009.

Dr. John Jenkins, CBE lives in Ballymena, was consultant paediatrician at the Waveney Hospital, Ballymena and is a senior lecturer in child health at Queen’s University Belfast and an honorary consultant paediatrician at the Royal.  He retired from clinical practice in 2010.  He trained in paediatrics and intensive care in Belfast and Toronto.  He was a member of the General Medical Council from 2003-2012, chaired the GMC Postgraduate Board and previously chaired the GMC Standards and Ethics Committee.  Having regard to the potential for this new hospital to support North-South cooperation in the provision of healthcare for all children on the island, it is appropriate to appoint a member from Northern Ireland to the Board.

Ms. Nicola Byrne is CEO and founder of 11890 & Stenics Media.  She is also a board member of the Ireland US Council, a board member of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, an Advisory Board Member of Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, an Ambassador in Europe for Female Entrepreneurship and previous Chairperson of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2012.

Ms. Marian Quinn is Chief Executive Officer of the Childhood Development Initiative in  Tallaght, an organisation that  supports the delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes to improve outcomes for children in disadvantaged areas  Marian’s career has been focused on children, young people and families. She has worked in the youth service and Youthreach, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Justice. Marian is the vision behind CDI. She holds a Masters in Adult Education, a B.Sc. Honours in Youth and Community Work and is a qualified Life and Business Coach.

The Department said the appointments were competency based, informed by the recommendations on governance in the HIQA report on Tallaght Hospital, the Higgins report on hospital groups and the views of the three hospitals which make up the Children’s Hospital Group. It was intended that further competency-based appointments to the CHGB will be made at a later stage.

The new Board members will join existing Chair, Dr. Jim Browne, in overseeing the operational integration of the three hospitals in advance of the move to the new children’s hospital.   As client for the building project, the Board will also play a key role in ensuring the new hospital is optimally designed and completed as swiftly as possible.

Recruitment is underway for the Children’s Hospital Group CEO, to work with the Children’s Hospital Group Board and with a senior management team. The post was advertised through the Public Appointments Service.

The new children’s hospital, to be co-located with St. James’s Hospital on its campus, will bring together the three existing Dublin paediatric hospitals (Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street and the National Children’s Hospital, part of Tallaght Hospital) into one entity.  The Children’s Hospital Group Board has been established on a non-statutory or administrative basis, in the context of the overall policy on Hospital Groups.

National Paediatric Hospital Development Board

A chairman and 11 members of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board have been appointed by the Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly T.D.

Mr. Tom Costello has appointed as Chairperson.  Mr. Costello is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland  (C.Eng FIEI).  He established a project management consultancy business in July 2012.  He is a former Managing Director (Ireland) of John Sisk & Son Ltd.  During his tenure there, he directed the Sisk team on the successful completion of many of the largest and most significant projects built in Ireland.

The other Board members are:

Mr. Tim Bouchier Hayes, Partner, McCann Fitzgerald, has over 35 years’ experience in dealing with public authorities, developers, architects, engineers, surveyors and builders on all aspects of construction projects. He received a Special Award from Engineers Ireland in recognition of outstanding contribution and commitment to the activities of the Institution.

Ms. Anne Butler, a Chartered Engineer, is a former President of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland.  A founding Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), she was on its board for ten years.  After ten years with the EPA, she established an environmental consultancy/advisory service where she specialises in environmental and regulatory matters, as well as strategy development and implementation.  She is on the Board of the ESB and on the Governing Body of the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Mr. John Cole, CBE is an architect by profession. He is shortly to retire from the post of deputy secretary and chief estates officer for the Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) at the DHSSPSNI, in which role he has been responsible for the procurement of many major health facilities in Northern Ireland. He is a former chairman of the European Health Property Network. He previously held the presidency of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects and was for 12 years a Council member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Professor Ian Hann is a former Professor of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology and Associate Medical Director of Great Ormond St Children’s Hospital, where he was a member of the Variety Club Building Project Team and later the Redevelopment Board.  He was a member of the Medical Research Council Leukaemia Trials committee for more than 20 years.

Mr. Karl Kent is a Registered Architect and Fellow of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (FRIAI).  He is a consultant architect-planner with Doyle Kent Planning Partnership Ltd since early 2012, following completion at the end of December 2011 of two terms of office as a Member and Deputy Chairperson at An Bord Pleanála.  He was a Member of the Strategic Infrastructure Division of An Bord Pleanála from its establishment in January 2007 until his retirement from the Board.

Mr. John Martin is a planner with many years’ experience in local government and An Bord Pleanála.  He was Principal Planning Adviser in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government from 2002 to 2011.   He served as a member of the 2012 Review Group on the new children’s hospital (the Dolphin Group).

Ms. Regina Moran is CEO of Fujitsu in Ireland where she leads a 350 strong team focussed on delivering ICT services that add business value to the Irish marketplace.  She is currently Vice President of Engineers of Ireland (FIEI), a board member of IBEC Ltd., a member of the Dublin City University governing authority and a Director of EirGrid. Regina holds an MBA from Dublin City University, and was awarded the ‘Sir Charles Harvey Award’ for outstanding contribution in her post-graduate studies.

Mr. Paul Quinn is Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in which role he is tasked with transforming procurement across the Public Service. He previously worked with Eircom where he was Supply Chain Director from 2007.  He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Dublin City University and a Degree in Engineering from the College of Technology, Kevin Street.

Ms. Marguerite Sayers is Operations Manager in the Generation and Wholesale Markets Directorate, overseeing ESB’s generation portfolio in Ireland. She is an electrical engineer, with 22 years experience working for ESB in various technical and managerial roles.  She is  also an internal coach and mentor in ESB, a Trustee of ESB’s Medical Provident Fund, a member of Engineers Ireland’s Council and Executive Committees and Chair of the Board of BESL (Amorebieta Generating Station in Spain).

Ian Carter
Ian Carter

Mr. Ian Carter is HSE National Director of Acute Hospitals. He was Chief Executive of St. James’s Hospital from 2006 to 2012. Prior to this he held various senior hospital management positions including Deputy CEO, St. James’s Hospital and General Manager, Acute Hospitals, Mid-Western Health Board.

Mr. Brian Fitzgerald is the Chief Executive at St. James’s Hospital.  He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a 1st class MBA from the Smurfit Business School UCD.  He also holds the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin.

Brian Fitzgerald
Brian Fitzgerald

A nominee of the Faculty of Paediatrics will also be appointed to the Board.

The Board is responsible for the design, planning, building and equipping of the new children’s hospital – in other words, it is the building board.  The Minister intends to restructure the Board by way of legislation, to ensure that provisions in its Establishment Order relating to its functions and membership reflect its sole focus on the building project. The appointments have been made in advance of this legislation. These appointments replace the interim Board, which included officials from the Department of Health and the HSE who have now stepping down as planned to make way for these new appointments.

CEO of Children’s Hospital Group

Ms Eilísh Hardiman, Chief Executive of Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, has been selected as CEO of the Children’s Hospital Group, following an open recruitment process led by the Public Appointments Service.

Eilish Hardiman
Eilish Hardiman

The Children’s Hospital Group includes Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street and the paediatric service at Tallaght Hospital.

The Board will oversee the operational integration of the three hospitals in advance of the move to the new children’s hospital.   As client for the building project, the Board will also play a key role in ensuring the new hospital is optimally designed and completed as swiftly as possible. As Group CEO of the Children’s Hospital Group, Ms Hardiman will work closely with the Board and with the hospitals on these key priorities.

Announcing the appointment, Health Minister, Dr. James Reilly said: “I am delighted that a person of the calibre, ability and experience of Eilísh Hardiman is taking up the role. The Government intends to make sure that our children get the best possible healthcare in the best possible environment.  This announcement is another important step in achieving that for our children.”

Dr Jim Browne, Chair of the Children’s Hospital Group Board, said “Eilísh has both the experience and the commitment to implement the change we want to see. As Chair of the Board, I look forward to working with her to address not only the challenges but also the enormous opportunities that lie ahead to enhance child healthcare in Ireland.”

Mr. Tony O’Brien, the Director General of the HSE, welcomed the selection of Ms Hardiman. He said: “Eilísh brings key relevant experience to this new challenge and she will have the full support of the HSE, in ensuring the successful operational integration of the existing three children’s hospitals in Dublin, in preparation for the opening of the new facility.”

Ms. Hardiman was previously CEO of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and prior to that Deputy CEO/Operations Manager of St./ James’s Hospital, Dublin   She holds a  BSc in Nursing and an Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA).