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Tony O'Brien Sasko Lazarov via Rolling News

'It has been a unique privilege': HSE chief Tony O'Brien to leave role this summer

Tony O’Brien has led the HSE since 2012.

HSE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR General Tony O’Brien has announced that he is to step down from his position this summer.

O’Brien has led the HSE since 2012 and today announced that he does not wish to renew his term of office beyond the end of this summer when his contract expires.

In a video address that he sent to HSE staff today, O’Brien confirmed that he discussed stepping down with Minister for Health Simon Harris last summer.

In the video, he told staff of the “unique privilege” it has been “to head the health service and its staff through its most challenging period”.

He described how “health service staff of all disciplines have shown the resilience necessary to see the service through those tough times and enabled it to emerge more efficient and effective than it had been, despite the increasing population needs and demands”.

HSE Ireland / YouTube

“Since August 2012, working together, we have achieved quite a lot in difficult circumstances. We have managed the keep the health service running as efficiently as we possibly could throughout the recessionary period as a result of all your efforts we have delivered increased services each year, including those years when resources were still reducing,” O’Brien told staff.

He went on to acknowledge many of the challenges that still exist in the Irish healthcare system, particularly around Emergency Department overcrowding and access.

“While we still have quite a way to go, there has been considerable progress in important areas such as, for example, the establishment of the National Women and Infants’ Health Programme, the e-health and electronic health records programme, the development of a long-awaited new architecture for ICT and the introduction of the Open Disclosures Policy,” he said.

O’Brien concluded his video address by telling staff that between now and the end of summer it will be “business-as-usual” and that he will continue to work alongside all staff in order to deliver “the best quality services that we can to our patients and service-users”.
https://twitter.com/dghealthservice/status/971014123797532672

In a statement this afternoon, Minister Harris said that while it will be some months before O’Brien leaves his role as Director General of the HSE, he “would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his leadership of the organisation for the past six years and his strong commitment to health reform”.

“The position of Director General of the HSE is a vital one, and this lead-in time will allow the recruitment process to now commence so that it can be filled in a timely manner,” Harris said.

Cabinet noted O’Brien’s “contribution to the health service” said a spokesperson, who added that he “worked diligently and vigilantly”. Ministers are understood to have “wished him well in his future career”.

With reporting by Christina Finn

Read: ‘Snow tourists’ hampering clean-up operation

More: Taking on vulture funds and using State lands: How the opposition is trying to fix Ireland’s housing situation

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    Mute Frederick Constant
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:21 AM

    Interesting idea. Not sure if the scobes here would have enough ‘work ethic’ to actually work to buy drugs – much easier to rob.

    124
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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:03 AM

    You patronising idiot Frederick.
    You sit on your high horse and presume to know the ‘work ethic’ of all heroin addicts – they are people – individuals – all different. Your attitude is part of the problem

    70
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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:45 PM

    Dave, when’s the last time you seen a junkie working? Me neither.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:16 PM

    Junkies have to go to their methadone clinics during the day, so they can’t work days. They’re such wasters.

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    Mute Richard Sweeney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Nice to see a pragmatic approach for a change

    95
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    Mute Sean Hyland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:26 AM

    No to prohibition and let addicts get help from charities set up with tax breaks for businesses. Keep the state out if it and make sure same charities are set up by volunteers with no pay off overheads. Ie people who care.

    18
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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:26 AM

    I like it when people get creative and aren’t afraid to try something different because whats in place isn’t working.

    91
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    Mute Lar Cooney
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    You would need the army to stop junkies robbing houses and anything else up In Dublin. Make drugs available for these people. Put real criminals out of business. I haven’t seen a Garda on foot in my area since the recession began. Bad enough a family has to deal with a drug addict then for him to be cast straight into low level crime. I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like Address the issue. What we are doing now is not working.

    61
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    Mute R
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:22 AM

    Actually fascinating. A good idea if it works definitely.

    46
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    Mute joe power
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:53 AM

    Why do people giv a f#@k about these scobies.you break the law you go to jail simples

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    Mute Scoby Watson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:02 AM

    Did someone say my name?

    78
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 9:32 AM

    Who are you? Ross O’Carroll Kelly? “Scobes” is not a word.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:34 AM
    24
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    Mute Luke Daly
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:50 AM

    It may well be a word but the urban dictionary “kinda isn’t” the place to prove it.

    I’m not a grammer Nazi I just think that Scobes is a silly term that snobs(you’ll find that in a real dictionary) use to describe poor people.

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    Mute Tom the Bomb
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:29 PM

    It’s a colloquialism. You probably won’t find it in the Oxford English Dictionary, but it has been in general use for years. I think it refers to the more anti-social types, not poor people. It has been largely replaced by the term ‘Chav’.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:40 AM

    Interesting idea. Can you imagine a tac head trying to sell you a magazine on Abbey street? You’d run a mile.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:42 AM

    With that attitude you would

    20
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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:51 AM

    If you have sense you would.

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    Mute Cannabis Freedom
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    But wouldn’t it be better than them running off with your iPhone? Personally, I’d admire a drug addict who opted to sell the magazine, rather than commit crime to feed their habit.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:54 AM

    No you wouldn’t. Knowing that buying a magazine may prevent a mugging, theft or shoplift is all the incentive you need. They are human beings selling magazines what’s the issue?

    17
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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:23 PM

    How about instead of having a habit you stop being a drain on society and yourself. Point is they are people with an illness who I personally don’t want to be associated with.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:28 PM

    Heroin is recognised by the world health organisation as a disease and should be treated as such. Until the government realises this it’s up to voluntary organisations and volunteers to help and this magazine is a great idea.

    You stick to your stigma but remember our current way of dealing with this problem excluding the addict from society does not work.

    17
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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:58 PM

    The WHO recognises the diseases which can be developed from heroin use as diseases. Nothing about the actual drug. I will continue my belief that they should be allowed to use drugs as the freely wish, however they are fools for doing so, as are all drug and drink users who believe in living in societies care when they can’t handle something they choose to use.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:02 PM

    So you are in favour of continuous criminalisation or not? Last comment was contradictory to others

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:06 PM

    De criminalisation without support. How is that contradictory?

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:08 PM

    The point of decriminalisation is to take a medical approach instead of a criminal one meaning you clearly have no idea what your on about. Decriminalisation without support is like criminalisation without enforcement

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:12 PM

    That’s your view of de criminalisation. Mine is that you are not arrested for drug use. After that you’re on your own.

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    Mute upthepylons
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    Jan 19th 2014, 2:48 PM

    Birch, don’t bother with them. They probably think that said heroin so be given to the junkies at the tax payers expence.

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    Mute Birch Barlow
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:53 PM

    I know, they seem to love suckling off the tax payers teat.

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    Mute paddydunne
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    Jan 19th 2014, 11:19 AM

    I think cocaine and heroin should be legalised. That would take the power away from the criminals, coupled with more power for the people. Stand your ground law. This would have a huage impact on our society for good.

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    Mute Trevor croft
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    Jan 19th 2014, 1:52 PM

    ˙uʍop ǝpısdn ǝɹɐ sǝʌıן sǝuo pǝʌoן ɹnoʎ puɐ ǝɟıן ɹnoʎ ʇı ʍouʞ noʎ ǝɹoɟǝq
    ‘spıʞ bunoʎ ǝɹɐ ʎǝɥʇ uǝɥʍ sʇɔıppɐ uıoɹǝɥ ǝɯoɔǝq oʇ ǝsooɥɔ ʇ,uop ǝןdoǝd

    16
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    Mute Dave Dson
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    Jan 19th 2014, 3:54 PM

    You can get a cream for that, clear you up in no time.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Jan 19th 2014, 5:18 PM

    Very clever! But.. People DO choose to become heroin addicts.

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    Mute SSDP Ireland
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    Jan 19th 2014, 12:38 PM

    This is a public health issue.

    We need schools not prisons.

    http://www.ssdp.org/ireland

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    Mute Jim
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    Jan 19th 2014, 10:39 AM

    That’s heavy Tac!

    6
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