HMI President, Tony Canavan and HMI Council Member, Kate Killeen White are among the six Regional Executive Officers (REOs) appointed by the HSE for the new Health Regions.
Tony Canavan has been appointed REO of HSE West and North West and Kate Killeen White, REO of HSE Dublin and Midlands.
Sara Long has been appointed REO of HSE Dublin and North East, Martina Queally, REO of HSE Dublin and South East, Dr Andy Phillips, REO of HSE South West and Sandra Broderick, REO of HSE Mid West.
The appointments were made following a Public Appointments Service-led process. The REOs will report directly to HSE Chief Executive, Bernard Gloster on the operation and management of the Health Regions. They will also form part of the core HSE Senior Leadership Team, providing regional input into the development of national policies and standards.
As part of implementing Sláintecare, the HSE is organising service delivery into six health regions from last Friday, March 1,2024. The Regions will be responsible for the delivery of high-quality, safe and accessible services for the population of their designated region and will replace Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations.
Each REO will be the accountable officer at Health Region level, responsible for the delivery of high-quality, safe, and accessible services for the population of their region.
Devolution of authority to the new Health Regions will take place on a phased basis during 2024 and 2025.
Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer, HSE West and North West
Tony Canavan has been CEO of Saolta University Healthcare Group, University Hospital Galway since 2019. He has worked in the health services since 1993 across a range of services including Mental Health Services, Public Health, Primary Care and Corporate Services. Tony’s first senior management appointment was in 2002 as General Manager of Mayo General Hospital. In 2009 he was appointed General Manager of Primary Community and Continuing Care for County Galway. Tony was appointed Chief Operating Officer to what became known as the Saolta Hospital Group in 2012. During 2012 -2013 he was also General Manager of Galway University Hospital. Following this, he was appointed Chief Officer for Galway, May and Roscommon Community Healthcare Organisation in 2015. Tony moved to his role as CEO Saolta University Healthcare Group in September 2019.
HSE West and North West will serve the people of Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, West Cavan, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.
Kate Killeen White, Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and Midlands
Kate Killeen White was Chief Officer, South East Community Healthcare. Kate held the position of Chief Officer for South East Community Healthcare since January 1, 2019. As Chief Officer, she was responsible for the delivery of community healthcare services in the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and South Tipperary and across the areas of Primary Care, Older Persons, Disabilities, Mental Health, Health and Wellbeing and Quality, Safety and Service Improvement. In this role, she led a workforce of nearly 5,000 staff. She was previously Head of Service for Social Care in South East Community Healthcare and Chief Executive of St. Catherine’s Association disability services. Prior to joining the Health Service, Kate practised as a Barrister-at-Law, specialising in the areas of Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Health Law and Policy including disability and Mental Health, Corporate Governance Strategy and Development Principles including Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate re-structuring and reform.
HSE Dublin and Midlands will serve the people of Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Kildare, West Wicklow and parts of South Dublin.
Sara Long, Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and North East
Sara Long was appointed Chief Executive of the Education Authority in Northern Ireland in 2019, having joined in 2016 as Director of Operations and Estates. Sara has extensive experience of building strategic partnerships, driving service performance and achieving results. Highlights from her career in the Education Authority include: establishing a Centre of Procurement Expertise; taking forward digital solutions for admissions and transport; leading the organisation through COVID-19 and driving forward a significant transformation programme in relation to Special Educational Needs services.
Sara has previously enjoyed an extensive career within Health and Social Care including management posts in acute and community care across the Western Health and Social Care Trust, most notably as its Director of Performance and Service Improvement. She worked regionally as an Assistant Director at the Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland leading on the commissioning of cancer services and performance management. Sara will take up her role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and North East on April 15, 2024.
HSE Dublin and North East will serve the people of Cavan, North Dublin, Louth, Meath and Monaghan.
Martina Queally, Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and South East
Martina Queally has over 30 years health service leadership experience with particular expertise in strategic change management in public services and integrated service delivery. Since 2015, as Chief Officer in HSE Community Healthcare East, she has led the planning and delivery of all community health services in South Dublin and Wicklow, a range of national programmes, and a combined HSE and voluntary workforce of nearly 4000 staff.
Martina has led a range of change, crisis and service transformation programmes; in 2011 as Integrated Services Area Manager for Dublin South East Wicklow she amalgamated three community health services and an acute hospital network, and in 2005 she led the establishment of the Local Health Office structure in Kildare and West Wicklow. Martina trained as a Registered General Nurse before qualifying as a Midwife and Public Health Nurse and she graduated with a MSc. in Heath Services Management from Trinity College Dublin in 2002. She has completed further study in areas of quality and service improvement and is a qualified executive coach and mentor. Martina took up her role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and South East on March 1, 2024.
HSE Dublin and South East will serve the people of Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, East Wicklow and parts of South Dublin.
Sandra Broderick, Regional Executive Officer, HSE Mid West
Sandra Broderick took up her post as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Mid West in December 2023. A qualified nurse, Sandra has extensive experience in leading and delivering health and social care services in the UK and in Ireland. Sandra worked in General Nursing with the NHS in both community and acute services, and then moved into various healthcare management roles across the NHS including senior advisory roles within health and social care. Sandra has worked as a Bed Manager, Head of Site Operations, Senior Clinical Commissioner and Director of Nursing and she also held regional service improvement advisory roles.
Sandra returned to Ireland in 2018 to join the HSE as Assistant National Director for Older People Services, leading this service from the HSE’s national operations team.
HSE Mid West serves the people of Clare, North Tipperary and Limerick.
Dr Andy Phillips, Regional Executive Officer, HSE South West
A Welshman, Dr Andy Phillips comes to the HSE from his role as Acting CEO of Safer Care Victoria, Australia. He has worked in clinical, operational and strategic executive leadership roles in healthcare for the past 37 years. Andy maintains his clinical qualification as a consultant clinical scientist.
Since 2009, Andy has been leading large scale health system transformation in Wales, New Zealand and Australia, with a passion for integrating health and social care. Andy has practised co-creating health and relationship centred healthcare for over 20 years, with recent work leading kindness and compassion in healthcare. Andy took up his role as Regional Executive Officer in HSE South West on March 1, 2024.
HSE South West will serve the people of Cork and Kerry.
HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said, “The move to the new regions, and a reformed and repurposed HSE Centre, represents a considerable change to our organisational structures. I am confident we have assembled a strong team of the six most senior officials in the HSE, reporting directly to me. Individually and collectively, they bring a broad range of skills and experience, placing them as the healthcare experts who will lead the next phase of health service delivery in Ireland. I look forward to working with them. Shortly, we will announce the details of the new re-organised HSE Centre, designed to support these regional leaders and ensure excellence in our public services.
“I want to emphasise that structural change is not the main goal of this reform. The idea behind reorganising our structures is to ensure that people experience just one health service, providing whatever care they need at the right time and in the right place. When we talk about ‘integrated care’, this is what we mean.
“I’d like to thank HSE staff around the country for their support and hard work as we transition this year. I look forward to working with each of the new REOs, and the teams they will form over the coming months, to provide a better health service for everyone living in Ireland.”
Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health, welcomed the announcement, saying, “I’m delighted to welcome the six new Regional Executive Officer appointees who will work with the CEO and myself to ensure that this reorganisation of our health and social care services delivers for patients. The HSE Health Regions Implementation Plan has been developed in partnership with health and social care stakeholders and aims to deliver more joined-up care to people when they need it.”
