The Department of Public Expenditure (DPER) has issued a directive stating that the Health Service Executive must discontinue a senior management position to make way for a new role within the health care sector for the ex-CEO of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), Eilísh Hardiman. This move came after a process of deliberation and is believed to carry prospective legal and procedural risks.
In April, CHI boards announced that following her ten-year stint as CEO, Ms Hardiman would be reassigned to a strategic role. The common practice is for government bodies to employ Chief Executives for five-year contracts, generally limited to two terms.
In response to a business case presented by the Department of Health highlighting the significance and necessity of the proposed role in resolving current CHI problems, DPER sanctioned the position of Strategic Programme Director. However, several conditions were imposed.
One of the prerequisites was the elimination of an equivalent role within the Health Service Executive, proposed to be replaced by the new strategic post. The post intended for discontinuation must be confirmed and disclosed to DPER prior to the appointment of a new CHI Chief Executive.
DPER outline that the inception of a new role would not be used to validate an increase in staffing at CHI, considering the need to control employment numbers in the health sector. It also clarified that the remuneration for the incoming CHI Chief Executive should remain unaltered. Taking into account any potential legal and operational risks, they further suggested that the Department of Health must ensure this is the most cost-effective outcome.
They also urged the Department of Health along with the CHI board to ensure this is a satisfactory resolution for the associated mediation process.
The staff at the group that manages the children’s hospitals of Crumlin, Temple Street, and Tallaght received a communication from their board, but it failed to touch upon any potential legal consequences or the likelihood of a mediation process linked to the formation of the strategic programme director role.
In June, The Irish Times informed their readers that the board of CHI had a desire to extend Ms Hardiman’s tenure for another term. However, this was not approved by Stephen Donnelly, the Health Minister, who stated the policy that CEOs should not serve more than two consecutive five-year terms.
In his correspondence to Minister Donnelly on December 24th, the board’s chairman, Dr Jim Browne, conveyed CHI’s shock and disappointment that their suggested reappointment of Ms Hardiman was dismissed. He asserted that engaging a new CEO would consume many months and believed maintaining leadership consistency was essential as the entity geared up to transition to the new national children’s hospital.
Nevertheless, in a response in May, Mr Donnelly highlighted his worries to Dr Browne, pointing out the risks the board might bring about due to the shift in CEO.