Dr Philip Crowley, HSE
By Lloyd Mudiwa.
The HSE’s support of clinical directors has not been as comprehensive as it could have been, the Executive has acknowledged, as it pledged to give them more authority over the next three years.
National Director of Quality and Patient Safety Dr Philip Crowley, who revealed elections of clinical directors for only the second three-year term of the function had opened, said the HSE planned to provide them with much more comprehensive support this time around.
Dr Crowley, who chairs the National Steering Group for Clinical Governance, told IMT: “The green light has gone out now to create the next tranche of clinical directors. Some places have gone ahead, some have maintained their existing directors who wish to serve for another term — that’s by agreement with their clinical colleagues, that’s fine. Others are going to elect directors in the next few weeks.
“I would say their performance has been excellent,” Dr Crowley added. “Perhaps our support of them hasn’t been as comprehensive as it should have been, insofar as it was our first time doing it.”
He said the role had taken several years to develop in other settings and Ireland had just two years’ experience with the system. “I think we have learned from it… we now have a Clinical Director Programme Lead, Dr Colm Henry [currently Clinical Director and Consultant Geriatrician at Mercy University Hospital, Cork]. He is going to provide leadership for all of them, and we have Thora Burgess [Project Manager, Clinical Governance Development] working full-time on it reporting to me.
“So I think there is going to be more support for clinical leaders this time around. We are going to try and make sure that they are going to be freed-up. I think essentially what they need is the authority to transact their role. We can’t be giving them responsibilities if they don’t have the authority.”
He said there had been “very notable” successes over the past two years, and “very striking” examples of leadership.
lloyd.mudiwa@imt.ie