The HSE has told the Medical Independent (MI) it hopes to recruit a permanent National Director of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) “in the very near future”, although it could not provide a timeframe.
At the end of last year, Prof Risteárd Ó Laoide stepped down as National Director, a role he had held since 2020.
“The position of Director of the NCCP is currently subject to a formal recruitment process, which is progressing,” the HSE told MI.
“…. Recruitment for senior leadership positions within the HSE follow established human resources policy and procedures. These include a transparent and competitive process, undertaken in line with public sector recruitment standards and governance requirements.”
Dr Tríona McCarthy has been in the position of interim National Director since November 2025. Dr McCarthy is a Consultant in Public Health Medicine with the NCCP, with responsibility for health improvement and health services improvement. She joined the Programme in 2008 shortly after it was established.
Meanwhile, the Irish Cancer Society’s pre-Budget submission has urged the Government to “prioritise” a new national cancer strategy. The current strategy expires at the end of this year.
“This requires a clear role for the National Cancer Control Programme, and sustained, multi-annual investment in cancer services, infrastructure, and prevention,” according to the submission. It also calls for measures to alleviate the financial hardship of a cancer diagnosis.
The document includes a joint message from the Presidents of the Irish Society of Radiation Oncology, Irish Society of Medical Oncology, Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy, and Irish Association for Nurses in Oncology.
The Presidents highlight that waiting time targets for cancer diagnostics are not being met. Cancer surgeries are being delayed because of staffing and capacity deficits, and radiotherapy services are not adequately resourced.
“Participation in cancer clinical trials remains below the modest target of 6 per cent and planned expansions of screening programmes have not been delivered,” they note.
Healthcare professionals “work tirelessly” to reduce the impact of these pressures, but there are “limits to what can be achieved” without investment. “This is increasingly the case, given the complexity of personalised patient pathways that require investment in specialists to coordinate and deliver treatments/interventions.”
The Presidents state that dedicated diagnostic imaging capacity is required for oncology services to expedite diagnosis and support treatment timelines.
“There is currently insufficient capacity in CT, MRI, and PET to achieve this. Given that Ireland has the oldest fleet of Linacs [medical linear accelerators] in the EU, a national planned placement schedule for Linac radiation therapy machines before they reach end of life is urgently needed. It is not possible to deliver the standard of care that patients deserve if the infrastructure, workforce and long-term planning are not in place.”
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