Simon Harris has announced that eight people have been appointed to the new board of the HSE.
They include former CEO of Barnardos Fergus Finlay, former GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail and AIB's Chief Information Officer Tim Hynes.
The board will operate on an administrative basis only until legislation officially creating it is passed.
The group of eight will join Ciarán Devane who announced as Chair of the HSE Board in September 2018.
The Department of Health said ins a statement that "the appointees reflect the range of competencies sought for prospective HSE Board members through the State Board’s process."
The new appointees announced today are:
- Fergus Finlay, former CEO of Barnardos
- Tim Hynes, Group Chief Information Officer, AIB
- Prof Deirdre Madden, professor of law at UCC and chair of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance. Dr Madden will be appointed Deputy Chair of the HSE Board
- Dr Sarah McLoughlin, Science and Communication Officer at Retina International & patient advocate
- Mark Molloy, Quantity Surveyor, member of the Expert Group on Tort Reform and Management of Clinical Negligence Claims & patient advocate
- Aogán Ó Fearghail, former GAA President
- Fiona Ross, chair of CIE and Mental Health Ireland
- Dr Yvonne Traynor, vice president of Regulatory & Scientific Affairs with Kerry Group
Minister for health, Simon Harris, said: “I am pleased to confirm the names of eight new appointees to the Board of the HSE. Chosen for excellence and leadership in their fields, the new board will play a crucial role in reform of our health service as we implement Sláintecare".
"We have also fulfilled a key recommendation from Dr Gabriel Scally’s report by ensuring the Board will have members with patient advocacy experience and expertise. This will ensure the patient’s voice is embedded in the reform of our health service and patient concerns are at the heart of the key decisions taken.”
The Dept of Health stated that the issues for the new HSE Board would include:
- Developing and implementing an effective performance management and accountability system in the HSE
- Developing a plan for building public trust and confidence in the HSE and the wider health service
- Ensuring the HSE’s full support for and implementation of the Government’s programme of health reform as set out in the Sláintecare Implementation Plan
Anne O’Connor, Director General of the HSE, said she welcomed the announcement of the appointment of HSE Board members.
In a statement, she said: "This is an important milestone in the implementation of the Sláintecare reform programme and, as such, we welcome today’s announcement.
"Having already begun engaging with the new Chairman, Mr Ciarán Devane, we now look forward to meeting with the new Board and anticipate a constructive and productive working relationship over the coming months.
"We are all collectively focused on building a better health service for the people of Ireland and to further building trust and confidence in that service. We look forward to working towards that goal in a patient focused manner."
