Press release
Minister for Health announces two new appointments to the HSE Board
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, has announced the appointment of Ms Anne Carrigy and Mr Brendan Whelan to the board of the Health Service Executive (HSE). The appointments come following a Public Appointment Services (PAS) campaign for additional members to the board.
Welcoming the appointments, the Minister said:
"I am delighted to welcome Ms Anne Carrigy and Mr Brendan Whelan to the HSE board, who will both take up challenging but important positions at this time.
"The board is central to strengthening governance and contributes to enhancing the oversight and performance of the HSE. The current pandemic is our focus and by ensuring the full capacity of the HSE Board, I am ensuring that they will be in the best possible position to tackle the challenges of reform and reorganisation that will accelerate in the coming months and years."
The appointment of the two new members brings the total membership of the board to twelve, bringing the board to full capacity for the first time since its establishment in 2019. The legislation establishing the board allows for a chairperson, a deputy chairperson and 10 members and the full board is now in place.
These appointments were made following an open competition operated by the Public Appointments Service, which invited applications from individuals with specific expertise in patient advocacy and/or experienced clinicians. These are competencies that are specified in legislation as being required by at least two of the members of the HSE Board.
Mr Whelan is appointed under the ‘Patient Advocacy’ provision and Ms Carrigy under the provision requiring the candidate to have practiced as a member of a health profession.
A nurse by profession, having specialised and worked in Intensive Care, she moved into nursing management as Director of Nursing and Head of Corporate Affairs at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin.
She then joined the HSE as Director of the Serious Incident Management Team and subsequently became National Lead, Acute Hospital Services HSE.
She has served on both National and International Boards and Committees over many years including serving as President of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland; Board Member of ENDA (European Nurse Directors Association); President of FEPI (European Federation of Nursing Professions); Council Member of the Medical Council of Ireland; Board Member of HIQA (Health, Information and Quality Authority); and Member of the Governing Body of Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
She is passionate about patients and has advocated for patient centred care, having dedicated her life to improving patient care services.
Brendan Whelan is CEO of Social Finance Foundation, an organisation which provides loan funding to organisations in the social sector which typically do not meet the credit criteria of mainstream lenders. Prior to this role, he was part of the Senior Management team in Bank of Ireland responsible for Operations, IT and HR.
He is a graduate in Commerce from University College Dublin, a graduate in Management from Stanford University and a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland.
He has a passion for helping individuals with additional needs. This is reflected in his Chairmanship of Special Olympics (SO) Ireland and his involvement in two locals SO clubs. He is also Chair of St. Catherine’s Association, a Section 39 social care organisation in Wicklow and Patron of the related St. Catherine’s Special School.