Press release
Minister Donnelly announces establishment of Regional Health Areas Advisory Group
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD today announced the establishment of the Regional Health Areas Advisory Group which will be chaired by Medical Council CEO, Leo Kearns.
As work progresses to implement the six Regional Health Areas (RHAs) and align the integration of care, the members of the RHA Advisory Group will provide support and guidance as the Department of Health and HSE plan for the transition towards RHAs.
RHAs will ensure the alignment of hospital and community healthcare services at a regional level, based on defined populations and their local needs. This is key to delivering on the Sláintecare vision of an integrated health and social care service.
In line with the government’s commitment to this Sláintecare reform, work to actively progress the establishment of six new Regional Health Areas has been ongoing in recent months.
Minister Donnelly said:
"I am keen that voices from across the health and social care service are heard as we implement RHAs. In line with the government’s commitment to delivering Sláintecare reform, this is a central plank of our Sláintecare strategy. I regard the implementation of RHAs as a fundamental change to the way that we deliver services with many benefits for patients and staff.
"We know that patients move between community and hospital services many times on their care journey. RHAs are a better way of organising health and social care to take account of this. The RHA Advisory Group will support this realignment of our services, utilising their shared knowledge and direct experience to inform meaningful change in how health care is delivered across Ireland."
At the inaugural meeting, newly appointed Chair, and Medical Council CEO, Mr Leo Kearns said:
"I am honoured to have been asked to Chair this independent advisory group on the implementation of Regional Health Areas by the Minister. This group, with expertise and a range of perspectives from across health and social care, will provide guidance, support, and advice on the design of an implementation plan for RHAs to the Department of Health and HSE officials charged with implementing this work programme under Sláintecare.
"The intention of Regional Health Areas is to empower local decision-making, support population-based service planning and to enable the integration of community and acute care, which will ultimately lead towards improved patient experience, access to healthcare and play a key role in strengthening our health service."
17 members have been appointed to the Regional Health Areas Advisory Group for a one-year period. Mr Leo Kearns will chair the Regional Health Areas Advisory Group.
| Member | Role | |
| 1. | Leo Kearns | Chief Executive Officer, Medical Council Ireland |
| 2. | Brian Fitzgerald | Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Beacon Hospital |
| 3. | Dr Colm Henry | Chief Clinical Officer, HSE |
| 4. | Derval McDonagh | Chief Executive Officer, Inclusion Ireland |
| 5. | Prof Donal Reddan | Former Clinical Director, Saolta Hospital Group & Consultant Nephrologist, Galway University Hospitals |
| 6. | Eileen Whelan | Director of Nursing, HSE |
| 7. | Jill Long | Former President, Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists & Non-Executive Director, Peamount Healthcare |
| 8. | Lucy Nugent | Chief Executive Officer, Tallaght University Hospital |
| 9. | Dr Martin Fellenz | Associate Professor of Business Studies, Trinity College Dublin |
| 10. | Mary Dunnion | Former Chief Inspector of Social Services, HIQA |
| 11. | Mellany McLoone | Chief Officer, Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City & County (CHO DNCC) |
| 12. | Niall Hogan | Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, St James's Hospital |
| 13. | Paul Tighe | Head of Pharmacy Services, St. Vincent's University Hospital |
| 14. | Dr Ronan Fawsitt | GP & Irish College of General Practitioners National Council |
| 15. | Sarah Lennon | Executive Director, Sage Advocacy |
| 16. | Dr Susan Finnerty | Inspector of Mental Health Services, Mental Health Commission |
| 17. | Dr Tony Cox | GP & Former Medical Director, Irish College of General Practitioners |
Leo Kearns is Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Council. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer of VHI Health & Wellbeing DAC from 2019 to 2021. He was Chief Executive of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) from 2006 to 2018 and National Lead for Transformation and Change for the Health Service Executive (HSE) from 2013 to 2015. He was heavily involved in the development of the National Clinical Programmes and played a key role in the development of Clinical Directors within the Irish health sector. He played a major part in the introduction of Professional Competence Schemes for doctors, and was instrumental in founding the Forum of Irish Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies. He holds a Master’s in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College, Dublin.
Brian Fitzgerald is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Beacon Private Hospital. He was previously CEO and the Chief Financial Officer of St. James’s Hospital where he served for over twenty years. He is the Chairperson of the National Haemophilia Council and a current member of the Independent Patient Safety Council. He is a former member of the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Council. He is a qualified accountant and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Smurfit Business School. He has recently completed the Chartered Director exams.
Dr Colm Henry was appointed Chief Clinical Officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in April 2018. He previously served as the National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead for Acute Hospitals from 2014-2018, National Lead for the Clinical Director Programme from 2012-2014 and Clinical Director of the Mercy University Hospital Cork from 2009-2012. As the HSE’s first Chief Clinical Officer, he is responsible for aligning clinical expertise and leadership across the healthcare system from service and policy design to planning and implementation.
Derval McDonagh began her career as a speech and language therapist, working in Early Intervention and early school years. She was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Inclusion Ireland in 2021. She has worked with Cope Foundation, a service provider supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism in Cork for the last 17 years, where she undertook senior management roles since 2013. In recent times she coordinated the transformation of services towards community based, person led supports.
Professor Donal Reddan is a Consultant Nephrologist and General Physician at Galway University Hospitals. He is an honorary Professor of Medicine at NUI Galway. He is former Clinical Director for Medicine at the Saolta Hospital Group and current Saolta Hospital Group Nephrology Clinical Lead. A graduate of University College Dublin (UCD), he completed post-graduate training in Ireland and the US including a residency in General Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), Pittsburgh and a fellowship in Nephrology at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina in the United States. He also completed a Master’s in Health Sciences at Duke and served on faculty as an Assistant Professor of Nephrology and the Duke Clinical Research Institute. He has been involved in the design and implementation of a number of important clinical trials in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and has published extensively in the area of CKD associated anaemia, and cardiovascular risk. He has served on the Council of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) for the past 10 years. He has also served as Vice-President and is currently the RCPI Treasurer.
Eileen Whelan is the Chief Director of Nursing & Midwifery in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) and is the current chairperson of the Hospital Groups Chief Director of Nursing & Midwifery Forum. She trained as a Registered General Nurse in Limerick University Hospital before gaining international experience in London, UK and Sydney, Australia. On her return to Ireland, she was appointed to Executive Nursing & Midwifery leadership roles in both Voluntary and Statutory Hospitals and held a National role of Lead for Performance Improvement, Unscheduled Care, in the Special Delivery Unit (SDU). She is a Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate from the Smurfit School of Business, University College Dublin (UCD). Her extensive clinical and leadership track record in Health services, is evidenced in her achievements leading on new service developments and service improvement and reconfiguration of services in both Ireland and Internationally. In addition, her clinical leadership is evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading and supporting services and the development and delivery of a National Vaccination Programme. She is committed to driving the quality & safety agenda for patients and their families. She completed the NHS Education for Scotland, Scottish Patient Safety Fellowship Programme (2013-2014) and was the first registered nurse in Ireland to receive the prestigious award of a Florence Nightingale Scholarship in March 2018.
Jill Long is a Past-President and former Non-Executive Director of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists. She is a Non-Executive Director of Peamount Healthcare and also chairs the Quality and Safety Committee. She has extensive regulatory experience and is currently a lay member of the Fitness to Practice Committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, a lay member and Deputy Chair of the Preliminary Proceedings Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, a registrant member of the Preliminary Proceedings Committee of CORU and a lay member of the newly established Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal.
Lucy Nugent joined Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) as Chief Operations Officer in 2014, moved to the role of Deputy CEO in 2016, and was appointed CEO of TUH in 2019. Prior to joining TUH, she worked in the Acute Hospitals Division of the HSE as Head of Quality Assurance & Risk Management and previously was the Clinical & Patient Services Manager in the Children’s University Hospital Temple Street. Prior to that she worked in a number of nursing roles and has over 30 years’ experience of working in healthcare. In addition to being a Registered General and Children’s Nurse she has an MSc in Healthcare Management (TCD), BSc Nursing Studies (DCU), a Diploma in Infection Control (RCSI), a Diploma in Leadership & Quality in Healthcare (RCPI) and recently graduated from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (IESE) Business School Advanced Management Programme. She is a past President of the Health Management Institute of Ireland and is involved in a number of initiatives of the European Association of Hospital Managers.
Dr Martin Fellenz is Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour and Director for Adjunct Faculty at Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. He has extensive experience in planning and supporting organisational transformation and regularly consults internationally in the areas of organisational and cultural change, leadership development, governance and accountability, and management board development.
Mary Dunnion has vast experience in acute health and social care services in Ireland. Initially qualifying as a General Nurse and Midwife, she has worked in many general and clinical speciality areas. Over her career she has been involved in education, the national hospital accreditation programmes, has operated at executive management level and led several substantial change management projects in the health and social care sector. In addition, her role as Chief Inspector of Social Services and Director of Regulation in the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) until October 2021 has provided her with further insight and understanding of the current strengths, challenges and opportunities to improve, effectively integrate, and provide sustainably safe and effective health and social care services.
Mellany McLoone is Chief Officer of Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City and County (CHO DNCC). As Chief Officer, she is responsible for the delivery of community healthcare services in Dublin North City and County in the areas of Primary Care, Older Persons, Disabilities, Mental Health, Health and Wellbeing and Quality, Safety and Service Improvement to a population of approximately 621,000. With significant experience in the Irish public health system over the past three decades, she has worked in a number of senior management and leadership roles in the areas of human resources, business support and operational management in hospitals, community services and TUSLA. She holds a Master’s in Organisational Leadership from the Royal College of Surgeon’s Institute of Leadership and an Advanced Diploma in Applied Employment Law from Kings Inn. She has also been awarded a Degree in HR and Industrial Relations from the National College of Ireland and the Irish Management Institute’s Graduate Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership and Health Service. She is a member of the Grangegorman Development Agency Board and a member of the Audit& Risk and Workforce & Remuneration Committees. She is also a Council member of the Health Management Institute of Ireland (HMI).
Niall Hogan graduated from medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in 1995 and completed his higher surgical training in Trauma and Orthopaedics in 2005. He also holds a Master of Science degree from Oxford University. He undertook an overseas orthopaedic fellowship in Sydney, Australia in 2006-2007. He has been working as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon and clinical orthopaedic lead in St. James’s Hospital since 2008. He also works in the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh, and privately in Blackrock Clinic and the Sports Surgery Clinic. He is a former secretary of the Irish Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery and is the current regional orthopaedic clinical lead for the Dublin Midlands Group.
Paul Tighe is the Head of Pharmacy Services at St. Vincent’s University Hospital. He is a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (MPSI) and holds an MBA from University College Dublin (UCD) Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. He is a former Chair of the Irish Medication Safety Network and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Trinity College Dublin.
Dr Ronan Fawsitt is a full-time GP in Kilkenny City. He has been involved in integrating care between GPs and St. Luke’s Hospital over many years. He was the founder Chair of the Carlow-Kilkenny Local Integrated Care Committee (LICC) which remains active today in streaming patients to the right care, right place, right time through dedicated care pathways including Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU), Acute Surgical Assessment Unit (ASAU), Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU), Gynaecology Assessment Unit (GAU), and the Minor Injuries Unit. He was a member of the Sláintecare Implementation Advisory Committee (SIAC) from 2018-2021. He served as GP/Primary Care advisor on the Ireland East Hospital Group (IEHG) Executive from 2015-2020. In 2016, the Carlow-Kilkenny LICC was awarded the Best GP-Hospital Collaboration nationally by GP Buddy. With Prof Ken McDonald, he helped develop the Heart Failure Virtual Clinics which are reducing hospital reliance and enabling integrated care for patients close to home. He is a former Chair of the Kilkenny Faculty of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and serves on the ICGP National Council. He is also a former Chair of the Presentation Secondary School, Kilkenny, and is currently a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Aiséirí/Aislinn Addiction Treatment Services.
Sarah Lennon has extensive senior management experience in leading not-for-profit, advocacy and human rights organisations and has played a key role in defending and upholding the rights of individuals throughout her career. She has also been an important voice for people with disabilities through her work with the Rehab Group, Inclusion Ireland and has also helped champion the rights of students with the Irish Council for International Students. She is currently the Executive Director of Sage Advocacy, a national advocacy organisation working with older people, vulnerable adults, and healthcare patients.
Following her graduation from the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) in 1984, and subsequent psychiatric training, Dr Susan Finnerty worked as a consultant psychiatrist in Ennis in both general adult and rehabilitation psychiatry for 14 years. She joined the Mental Health Commission as an Assistant Inspector in 2004 and was appointed Inspector of Mental Health Services in 2016. Apart from having a special interest in people with serious mental illness, she has published several research articles about rehabilitation psychiatry. Susan has completed a Master’s in Healthcare Ethics and Law with the Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI).
Dr Antony Cox is a former Medical Director of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP). Dr Cox has a long history of involvement with the ICGP where he was a former President (2014-2015) and where he has served as Chair of the Post Graduate Training Committee (PGTC). He was previously Chair of the Member of the Irish College of General Practitioners (MICGP) Examinations Committee and has served as an Examiner for the College since 1993. He is a GP Trainer on the Mid-West GP Training Scheme. Dr Cox has practised as a GP in Co. Clare for over 25 years and has been involved in the Clare Faculty of the ICGP since 1991, where he has held a number roles.
Sláintecare is a ten-year programme with cross-party support that is focused on reforming Ireland’s health services, ensuring people can get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Sláintecare is the roadmap for building a world-class health and social care service for the Irish people. It aims to deliver universal healthcare and to greatly improve patient experiences through integrating care and forging stronger connections in and across community and acute care. Sláintecare reforms are patient-centred, placing their needs at the heart of the system. Regional Health Areas are an integral part of Sláintecare whereby services will be geographically aligned, making care available closer to home and resulting in more patients being treated in their own communities where possible. Sláintecare aims to give patients equal access to services based on their need, and not their ability to pay.
There are currently nine Community Health Organisations and six Hospital Groups plus Children’s Health Ireland. These do not align geographically nor overlap in terms of clinical oversight or budgets for defined populations. This significantly hinders the delivery of integrated care. Regional Health Areas involve the full alignment and better integration of health and social care delivery structures within each specific region. RHAs recognise the value of geographical alignment for population-based resource allocation and governance to enable integrated care. This is a key component of how the HSE will organise and deliver integrated health and social care services into the future.
Integrated care is where services, funding, and governance are co-ordinated around the needs of the patient, encompassing both acute and community care.
The objectives of regionalisation are aligned with Sláintecare’s overall aims and objectives and are intended to: