The interim chief executive of Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) has resigned from her post, according to a memo sent to staff on Monday.
The role of CHI chief executive was vacant from last November after Eilish Hardiman went on medical leave. In January, Fiona Murphy was appointed as acting chief executive and staff were told earlier this year that Ms Hardiman has been reassigned to a new role of strategic programme director.
Earlier this year, the board began a recruitment process to fill the chief executive role on a permanent basis.
In the memo to staff, Dr Jim Browne, chairman of the board for Children’s Health Ireland, said Ms Murphy’s resignation would be effective from February 2025.
Interim chief executive at Children’s Health Ireland resigns from post
Ireland’s corporate tax boom makes the front page of the Wall Street Journal
Sinn Féin denies planned ‘piggy bank heist’ as major parties clash over spending
Half a million for a 33-page report on MetroLink? It may prove cheap at the price
“On my own behalf and on behalf of the board, I would like to convey my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms Murphy for her tremendous leadership over the past year or so,” he said.
“Fiona has done and continues to do an incredible job in challenging circumstances. I am sure you will all join me in wishing her every success in her new role.”
Mr Browne said he would like to assure staff that the board “expects to appoint a new CEO imminently. I will be writing to you regarding this in the very near future”.
“In the meantime, the board and I would like to thank you for your continuing commitment to CHI and most importantly to the care of our patients and their families,” he added.
Ms Murphy’s resignation comes at a critical time for CHI, which is preparing for the completion of the new national children’s hospital next year.
A project beset by cost overruns and delays, Bam, the main contractor, has indicated the substantial completion date for the hospital will be June 2025. A further six months of “fit out” will then be required, before it can open to patients.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly recently criticised the board of CHI for the delay in appointing a new chief executive.
Ms Hardiman was appointed, following two terms as chief executive, to another senior role in CHI which is responsible for running the hospital services for children. Mr Donnelly had maintained that it would be against Government policy to appoint a person for longer than 10 years as a CEO in a State body.
In a letter to the minister at the time, Mr Browne said appointing a new chief executive who was unfamiliar with the project would “introduce additional risks which will be extremely difficult to mitigate and manage”.
Jennifer Whitmore, the Social Democrat’s spokeswoman for children said she is “deeply concerned” by the resignation.
“This comes at a critical phase of the development of the National Children’s Hospital project, which has been beset by unacceptably long delays and scandalous cost overruns,” she said.
“The Minister for Health must now account for the Government’s inexplicable failure to appoint a permanent CEO to the role, who will be responsible for overseeing the monumental task of merging the three existing children’s hospitals into the new development at St James’s.”
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
