HSE board to include members with medical background
Planned legislation on the make-up of the new Health Service Executive Board will be changed to include members with a medical background.
Fianna Fáil’s health spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, succeeded in amending the Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill so there are two clinical experts on the board.
When a vote was called members of the Select Committee on Health accepted Mr Donnelly’s amendment that members “shall include” two clinical experts, a patient advocate, and a financial expert.
Mr Donnelly said he included two clinical experts in his amendment because he did not want the clinical community to be only represented by doctors.
He also wanted someone with financial expertise because “serious financial oversight” was needed.
He had looked at the minister’s appointments to the board but he thought it was very mixed.
While some of the appointees had relevant expertise, some had none. “And I have no idea what they are doing there,” he said.
