Sudden resignation of ICGP director

The Kildare GP took up the part-time role in June 2016, replacing the role of College Medical Director vacated by Dr Margaret O’Riordan in March 2016.

The new role included responsibility for ensuring the delivery of ICGP policy in the future. It is not yet known who will replace Dr O’Shea or when the position will be filled.

When taking up the role, Dr O’Shea remarked: “This remains a difficult time for general practice. The pace of change is accelerating for positive and negative reasons, and while it is, in key respects, impossible to stop this, it is necessary for us to manage the change, so that it adds to our collective abilities to run practices in a way that benefits patients and enables practice teams to deliver best care with available resources.”

When contacted about the resignation rumours, Dr O’Shea stated that he was “not in a position to comment”. It is understood Dr O’Shea notified the College of his decision just before Christmas.

One source described the resignation as “sudden”.

A spokesperson for the ICGP told <em><strong>MI</strong></em>: “Dr Brendan O’Shea has indicated his intention to step down from the post of Director of the ICGP Post-graduate Resource Centre of the ICGP, due to practice commitments which continue to place increasing demands on his time.

“Dr O’Shea was appointed in August 2016 and he has been a prominent and articulate representative for the College and for general practice including presentations to various Oireachtas Health Committees. During this time, he has also been highly innovative in the role. The College thank him for his achievements and considerable contribution. The post will be advertised in the near future.”

Dr O’Shea has a long history of involvement with the College, having served as ICGP Communications Executive from 1999-2002, and Kildare Faculty Secretary and GP trainer.

He is currently Assistant Adjuvant Professor in Primary Care and Public Health at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and is also a former Medical Director of out-of-hours GP co-operative KDOC.