Children’s Health Ireland CEO reassigned to new role

The Chief Executive of Children’s Health Ireland has been reassigned to a different role in the organisation.

Eilísh Hardiman, led CHI since it was established in 2018. Prior to that she was Group Chief Executive of Children’s Hospital Group.

She has now been appointed as “Strategic Programme Director” in the organisation, and CHI said it will recruit a new Chief Executive through public recruitment.

In a statement, the CHI Board said that it is government practice to appoint state-body chief executives on five-year contracts, with no more than two contracting periods.

“Eilísh has come to the end of a ten-year engagement as Chief Executive, however she is committed to continuing her public service and will now lead on the realisation of specific strategy imperatives for CHI,” it said.

The CHI board said it was assigning Ms Hardiman to a senior leadership role to “pursue and assure delivery on core policy and strategic provisions” which included “implementation of the National Model of Care for Paediatric Healthcare in Ireland, and optimising co-location benefits of the new hospital on a shared campus with St James’s Hospital”.

Last September Ms Hardiman appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health to answer questions about the use of non-medical grade springs in children’s spinal surgeries.

In a statement today, the chairman of the CHI Board Dr Jim Browne said the board was pleased to have retained Ms Hardiman’s “knowledge, experience and leadership” in the organisation.

“CHI will be seeking a new chief executive through public recruitment. Ms Fiona Murphy, Acting CEO will continue in this role until the CEO role is filled” he said.

Reporting: Justin McCarthy and Elayne Devlin