Future HPSC Director will lead ‘fundamental restructuring’

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has a new interim Director, while the fourth attempt to recruit a permanent Director has now begun.

The future permanent Director “will be tasked with leading a change management process, which will involve a fundamental restructuring of the organisation,” according to the job specification sent to this newspaper by the Executive.

As reported in the Medical Independent (MI) in September 2017, three previous recruitment drives to recruit a HPSC Director have been unsuccessful. There has been no full-time HPSC Director since Dr Darina O’Flanagan retired from the post in May 2016. Since that time, the HSE Assistant National Director, Strategic Planning and Transformation, Public Health and Child Health Dr Kevin Kelleher was working as interim Director. However, since last month, Dr John Cuddihy has been filling that position “on an interim basis subject to permanent filling of the post,” according to the new edition of the HPSC’s Epi-Insight publication.

“The staff of HPSC would like to thank Dr Kevin Kelleher… for his leadership since the retirement of the previous Director,” stated Epi-Insight.

The HSE has told MI that the fourth search to find a permanent Director has now begun, with a deadline for applications of 12 September. According to the job specification, “a start date will be indicated at job offer stage.”

“We are seeking a candidate to lead a programme of reform of the public health, health protection service in Ireland,” according to the job specification.

“All public health functions, including health protection functions, are currently under review. The successful candidate will be tasked with leading a change management process, which will involve a fundamental restructuring of the organisation and delivery of services currently provided through the HPSC, the National Immunisation Office, the Departments of Public Health and the work of medical officers of health appointed by the HSE.”

The salary scale for the post is €130, 364. In addition the post attracts a Clinical Director allowance of €46,000.