Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, TD, today (2 August 2013) announced the appointment of nine members to the Children’s Hospital Group Board.
The new children’s hospital, to be co-located with St. James’s Hospital on its campus, will bring together the three existing Dublin paediatric hospitals (Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Children’s University Hospital Temple Street and the National Children’s Hospital, part of Tallaght Hospital) into one entity. The Children’s Hospital Group Board has been established on a non-statutory or administrative basis, in the context of the overall policy on Hospital Groups. The new Board members will join existing Chair, Dr Jim Browne, in overseeing the operational integration of the three hospitals in advance of the move to the new children’s hospital. As client for the building project, the Board will also play a key role in ensuring the new hospital is optimally designed and completed as swiftly as possible.
The appointments are competency based, informed by the recommendations on governance in the HIQA report on Tallaght Hospital, the Higgins report on hospital groups and the views of the three hospitals which make up the Children’s Hospital Group.
The Minister said, “I want to see the three hospitals become one before the new children’s hospital to which they will move is built. These appointments to the Children’s Hospital Group Board are a very significant step in that direction. I very much welcome the fact that the hospitals themselves are eager to work together as a Group and eventually, as one hospital.”
Dr Jim Browne, Chair of the Children’s Hospital Group Board, said “The appointment of these Board members heralds a new chapter in the provision of paediatric acute services for children in Dublin and throughout Ireland. The new Board members will bring very strong and very relevant expertise and experience to the challenges and opportunities we face as a Hospital Group. ”
The Minister has also announced the appointment of a Chair and other members to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, replacing the interim Board members who have been progressing the new children’s hospital capital project since January. The appointments reflect the Development Board’s sole focus on the building project, to which they bring construction, architectural, engineering, planning and procurement expertise and experience. They also reflect the involvement of key stakeholders in this large-scale, complex and hugely important development.
The Minister said “I am delighted to announce these appointments, which ensure that the necessary capital development skills are available to drive this priority project to completion. I also want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work undertaken by officials from my Department and from the HSE who have brought the project forward since January and ensured that a strong start has been made in respect of site preparation, pre-application planning discussions and design team procurement”.
Notes for editors
Appointments to the Children’s Hospital Group Board
The Children’s Hospital Group Board is the end-user and client for the building project, and will oversee the operational integration of the three hospitals in advance of the move to the new hospital. It will also deal with any matters relating to the operational transfer to the new hospital in due course, and to philanthropy.
Dr Jim Browne was appointed as Chair of the Children’s Hospital Group Board in April this year. The further appointments made include the existing chairs of the three paediatric hospitals which will come together in the Hospital Group (Crumlin, Temple Street and the paediatric service at Tallaght), consistent with the Higgins report on Hospital Groups. They are:
· Mr John Hennessy (representing the Chair of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin) is Chairman of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) since 2011 and has more than 30 years’ experience in the private sector, working in the telecommunications industry. On graduating from college in 1973, John joined the Swedish multinational telecommunications company, Ericsson, and has held a number of senior international positions and was appointed Managing Director of Ericsson Ireland from 2003 until he became Chairman in 2010. John has been a member of various Government advisory boards through his involvement in the Irish Business and Employer Confederation (IBEC). John is also a board member of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC), deputy Chairman and board member of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Chairman of the Chartered Directors Network, and board member of St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. John holds an MSc and is a Chartered Director.
· Mr Michael Scanlan is Chair of the Tallaght Hospital Board. He is a former Secretary General of the Department of Health. Prior to joining the Department of Health, he was an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Finance with responsibility for public expenditure policy in the health sector and a number of other areas. He was educated at Templeogue College and joined the civil service in 1973. He moved to the then Department of the Public Service in 1979 and dealt at various stages with public service pay, conditions, pensions and training. He served as Secretary to the “Gleeson” and “Buckley” Review Bodies, The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector.
· Mr Sean Sheehan is Chair of the Board of Children’s University Hospital, Temple Street. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants. He joined Brother Ireland in 1987 as Financial Controller, having worked at senior management level in the hotel/catering and agricultural business sectors also. Prior to joining Brother, Sean was a locum Accounts and Finance Director at Temple Street, Children’s University Hospital. Sean has extensive skills in financial planning, strategic planning and change management. He has a broad range of business skills and became Managing Director of the Irish subsidiary of Brother International in 1994 until his retirement in March 2013.
· Dr Jim Shmerling, Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Hospital Colorado since January 2007, has 33 years of leadership experience in children’s hospitals. His most recent position was as the Chief Executive Officer of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Shmerling serves as Chairman of the Board of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and is Chair-Elect of Children’s Hospital Association. Dr. Shmerling earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Education from the University of Tennessee, his Master of Science Degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, his Master of Science Degree in Business Administration from Samford University and his Doctoral Degree in Health Administration and Policy from the Medical University of South Carolina. He is a Fellow in the College of Health Care Executives and serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Hospital Administration program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Shmerling is from Nashville, Tennessee and he and his wife have four children.
· Ms Catherine Guy is Managing Partner of law firm, Byrne Wallace. Catherine has over 20 years’ experience as a solicitor and over her career has worked in a number of practice areas. She specialises in commercial property development projects and prior to her appointment as Managing Partner in June 2012, she was Head of the Firms’ Property and Construction Department, working with a wide range of clients on large scale commercial investment and development projects. Catherine is married with two children.
· Ms Cathriona Hallahan is General Manager of Microsoft Ireland. Microsoft Ireland is one of the few bases outside Richmond which is home to all aspects of Microsoft business from operations, distribution and sales and marketing to development and localisation. She was previously Managing Director of EMEA Operations for Microsoft. She also sits on the executive council of the Irish Dance Council and is a non-executive director of VHI, chair of its Audit Committee and member of its Cost Committee. She is a former council member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and was Business Woman of the Year in 2009.
· Dr John Jenkins CBE lives in Ballymena, was consultant paediatrician at the Waveney Hospital, Ballymena and is a senior lecturer in child health at Queen’s University Belfast and an honorary consultant paediatrician at the Royal. He retired from clinical practice in 2010. He trained in paediatrics and intensive care in Belfast and Toronto. He was a member of the General Medical Council from 2003-2012, chaired the GMC Postgraduate Board and previously chaired the GMC Standards and Ethics Committee. Having regard to the potential for this new hospital to support North-South cooperation in the provision of healthcare for all children on the island, it is appropriate to appoint a member from Northern Ireland to the Board.
· Ms. Nicola Byrne is CEO and founder of 11890 & Stenics Media. She is also a board member of the Ireland US Council, a board member of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, an Advisory Board Member of Ryan Academy for Entrepreneurship, an Ambassador in Europe for Female Entrepreneurship and previous Chairperson of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2012.
· Ms. Marian Quinn is Chief Executive Officer of the Childhood Development
Initiative in Tallaght, an organisation that supports the delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes to improve outcomes for children in disadvantaged areas Marian’s career has been focused on children, young people and families. She has worked in the youth service and Youthreach, the Health Service Executive and the Department of Justice. Marian is the vision behind CDI. She holds a Masters in Adult Education, a BSc Honours in Youth and Community Work and is a qualified Life and Business Coach.
It is intended that further competency-based appointments to the CHGB will be made at a later stage.
CEO of the Children’s Hospital Group
Recruitment is underway for the Children’s Hospital Group CEO, to work with the Children’s Hospital Group Board and with a senior management team. The post was advertised on Friday 28 June through the Public Appointments Service.
Appointments to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board
The Board is responsible for the design, planning, building and equipping of the new children’s hospital – in other words, it is the building board. The Minister intends to restructure the Board by way of legislation, to ensure that provisions in its Establishment Order relating to its functions and membership reflect its sole focus on the building project. The appointments announced today can be made in advance of this legislation. These appointments replace the interim Board, which included officials from the Department of Health and the HSE who are now stepping down as planned to make way for these new appointments. The appointments are:
· Mr. Tom Costello is appointed as Chairperson. Mr. Costello is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of Engineers Ireland (C.Eng FIEI). Tom established a project management consultancy business in July 2012. He is a former Managing Director (Ireland) of John Sisk & Son Ltd. During his tenure there, he directed the Sisk team on the successful completion of many of the largest and most significant projects built in Ireland.
The other Board members are:
· Mr. Tim Bouchier Hayes, Partner, McCann Fitzgerald, has over 35 years’ experience in dealing with public authorities, developers, architects, engineers, surveyors and builders on all aspects of construction projects. Tim received a Special Award from Engineers Ireland in recognition of outstanding contribution and commitment to the activities of the Institution.
· Ms. Anne Butler, a Chartered Engineer, is a former President of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. A founding Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), she was on its board for ten years. After ten years with the EPA, Anne established an environmental consultancy/advisory service where she specialises in environmental and regulatory matters, as well as strategy development and implementation. She is on the Board of the ESB and on the Governing Body of the Dublin Institute of Technology.
· Mr John Cole CBE is an architect by profession. He is shortly to retire from the post of deputy secretary and chief estates officer for the Health Estates Investment Group (HEIG) at the DHSSPSNI, in which role he has been responsible for the procurement of many major health facilities in Northern Ireland. He is a former chairman of the European Health Property Network. He previously held the presidency of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects and was for 12 years a Council member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
· Professor Ian Hann is a former Professor of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology and Associate Medical Director of Great Ormond St Children’s Hospital, where he was a member of the Variety Club Building Project Team and later the Redevelopment Board. He was a member of the Medical Research Council Leukaemia Trials committee for more than 20 years.
· Mr. Karl Kent is a Registered Architect and Fellow of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (FRIAI). He is a consultant architect-planner with Doyle Kent Planning Partnership Ltd since early 2012, following completion at the end of December 2011 of two terms of office as a Member and deputy Chairperson at An Bord Pleanala. Karl was a Member of the Strategic Infrastructure Division of An Bord Pleanála from its establishment in January 2007 until his retirement from the Board.
· Mr. John Martin is a planner with many years' experience in local government and An Bord Pleanála. He was Principal Planning Adviser in the Department. of the Environment, Community and Local Government from 2002 to 2011. He served as a member of the 2012 Review Group on the new children's hospital (the Dolphin Group).
· Ms. Regina Moran is CEO of Fujitsu in Ireland where she leads a 350 strong team focussed on delivering ICT services that add business value to the Irish marketplace. Regina is currently Vice President of Engineers of Ireland (FIEI), a board member of IBEC Ltd., a member of the Dublin City University governing authority and a Director of EirGrid. Regina holds an MBA from Dublin City University, and was awarded the ‘Sir Charles Harvey Award’ for outstanding contribution in her post-graduate studies.
· Mr. Paul Quinn, is Chief Procurement Officer, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in which role he is tasked with transforming procurement across the Public Service. He previously worked with Eircom where he was Supply Chain Director from 2007. He has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Dublin City University and a Degree in Engineering from the College of Technology, Kevin Street.
· Ms. Marguerite Sayers is Operations Manager in the Generation and Wholesale Markets directorate, overseeing ESBs generation portfolio in Ireland. Marguerite is an electrical engineer, with 22 years experience working for ESB in various technical and managerial roles. Marguerite is also an internal coach and mentor in ESB, a Trustee of ESB’s Medical Provident Fund, a member of Engineers Ireland’s Council and Executive Committees and Chair of the Board of BESL (Amorebieta Generating Station in Spain).
· Mr. Ian Carter is HSE National Director of Acute Hospitals. He was Chief Executive of St. James’s Hospital from 2006 to 2012. Prior to this he held various senior hospital management positions including Deputy CEO, St. James's Hospital and General Manager, Acute Hospitals, Mid-Western Health Board.
· Mr. Brian Fitzgerald is the Chief Executive at St. James’s Hospital. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and holds a 1st class MBA from the Smurfit Business School UCD. He also holds the position of Adjunct Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin.
A nominee of the Faculty of Paediatrics will also be appointed to the Board.
Progress on the new children’s hospital capital project
The new hospital, to be co-located with St James’s Hospital on its campus, will bring together the three existing Dublin paediatric hospitals (Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Children’s University Hospital Temple Street, and the paediatric service at Tallaght Hospital) into one entity. The new hospital will provide secondary paediatric services for the Greater Dublin Area and tertiary services for the country as a whole and potentially the whole island of Ireland.
A transitional Board of officials from the Department of Health and the HSE has been in place since January last and has progressed the project on a number of fronts. The priorities for this transitional Board have been on reconciling the brief with the new site, site preparation, close-out of existing contracts and new procurement and recruitment processes. Progress to date includes:
· A shared services group is in place, focusing on identifying the facilities which can be shared between the new children’s hospital and the adult hospital so as to optimise the build;
· The contract notice for the procurement of a new design team was published on 3 July last;
· Pre-application planning discussions have commenced;
· A review of the satellite urgent care centre(s) configuration is underway and is expected to be completed shortly. This decision is key to finalising the scale of the facilities required at the new children’s hospital on the St. James's campus and informing the design. The aim is to secure planning permission by December 2014;
· St James’s Hospital is leading on the decant work required on the site and has established a Decant Project Office on the St James’s campus.