HSE CEO appoints new Regional Executive Officers to lead HSE Health Regions

The HSE CEO today announced details of the appointment of Regional Executive Officers for the 6 new HSE Health Regions. As part of implementing Sláintecare, the HSE is organising service delivery into six health regions from March 1st 2024.

Each REO will be the accountable officer at Health Region level, responsible for the delivery of high-quality, safe, and accessible services for the population of their region. REOs will report directly to the HSE CEO on the operation and management of the Health Regions. They will form part of the core HSE Senior Leadership Team, providing regional input into the development of national policies and standards.

Following a Public Appointments Service-led process, the HSE CEO is appointing:

Sara Long

Regional Executive Officer in HSE Dublin and North East.

Sara Long was appointed Chief Executive of the Education Authority in Northern Ireland in 2019, having joined in 2016 as Director of Operations and Estates. Sara has extensive experience of building strategic partnerships, driving service performance and achieving results.  Highlights from her career in the Education Authority include: establishing a Centre of Procurement Expertise; taking forward digital solutions for admissions and transport; leading the organisation through COVID-19 and driving forward a significant transformation programme in relation to Special Educational Needs services.

Sara has previously enjoyed an extensive career within Health and Social Care including management posts in acute and community care across the Western Health and Social Care Trust, most notably as its Director of Performance and Service Improvement. She worked regionally as an Assistant Director at the Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland leading on the commissioning of cancer services and performance management. Sara will take up her role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and North East on 15 April 2024.

HSE Dublin and North East will serve the people of Cavan, North Dublin, Louth, Meath and Monaghan.

Martina Queally

Regional Executive Officer in HSE Dublin and South East.

Martina Queally took up her role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and South East on 29 January 2024. Martina has over 30 years’ health service leadership experience with particular expertise in strategic change management in public services and integrated service delivery. Since 2015, as Chief Officer in HSE Community Healthcare East, she has led the planning and delivery of all community health services in South Dublin and Wicklow, a range of national programmes, and a combined HSE and voluntary workforce of nearly 4000 staff.

Martina has led a range of change, crisis and service transformation programmes; in 2011 as Integrated Services Area Manager for Dublin South East Wicklow she amalgamated three community health services and an acute hospital network, and in 2005 she led the establishment of the Local Health Office structure in Kildare and West Wicklow. Martina trained as a Registered General Nurse before qualifying as a Midwife and Public Health Nurse and she graduated with a MSc. in Heath Services Management from Trinity College Dublin in 2002. Martina has completed further study in areas of quality and service improvement and is a qualified executive coach and mentor. 

HSE Dublin and South East will serve the people of Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford, East Wicklow and parts of South Dublin.

Kate Killeen White

Regional Executive Officer in HSE Dublin and Midlands.

Kate Killeen White will join HSE Dublin and Midlands from her role as Chief Officer for South East Community Healthcare where, since 2019, she had operational responsibility for delivery of all HSE community services in Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford, leading a workforce of nearly 5000 staff. She was previously Head of Service for Social Care in South East Community Healthcare, Chief Executive Officer of St. Catherine’s Association disability service, and practised as a Barrister from 2008 to 2013.

Kate has more than 16 years’ senior operational experience across health, regulatory and legal environments. With a strong academic background including Barrister-at-Law degree, Masters in Law, Executive Diploma in Governance and an Executive Diploma in Coaching, she brings a specialist knowledge of Health Law and Policy, Public Administration, Corporate Governance, Corporate and Commercial Law including corporate re-structuring and reform and change management strategies and principles, to this important new post. Kate will take up her role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Dublin and Midlands on 1 March 2024.

HSE Dublin and Midlands will serve the people of Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Kildare, West Wicklow and parts of South Dublin.

Tony Canavan

Regional Executive Officer in HSE West and North West.

Tony Canavan is the CEO of the Saolta University Health Care Group. He has worked in the health services in the West for over 30 years. Over that time he has held a number of appointments with the Western Health Board in Mental Health Services, the Department of Public Health, Primary Care Services and Acute Hospital Services.

In 2012, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the first Hospital Group in the country, known then as the Galway Roscommon University Hospitals Group, which subsequently became the Saolta Group and was extended to include Letterkenny and Sligo. In 2015, he became Chief Officer of Community Healthcare West, before returning to the Saolta Group four years later as CEO. Tony will take up his role as Regional Executive Officer, HSE West and North West on 1 March 2024.

HSE West and North West will serve the people of Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, West Cavan, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo.

Dr Andy Phillips

Regional Executive Officer in HSE South West.

A Welshman, Dr Andy Phillips comes to the HSE from his role as Acting CEO of Safer Care Victoria, Australia. He has worked in clinical, operational and strategic executive leadership roles in healthcare for the past 37 years. Andy maintains his clinical qualification as a consultant clinical scientist.

Since 2009, Andy has been leading large scale health system transformation in Wales, New Zealand and Australia, with a passion for integrating health and social care. Andy has practised co-creating health and relationship centred healthcare for over 20 years, with recent work leading kindness and compassion in healthcare. Andy will be taking up his role as Regional Executive Officer in HSE South West on 1 March 2024.

HSE South West will serve the people of Cork and Kerry.

Sandra Broderick

Regional Executive Officer in REO, HSE Mid West.

Sandra Broderick took up her post as Regional Executive Officer, HSE Mid West in December 2023. A qualified nurse, Sandra has extensive experience in leading and delivering health and social care services in the UK and in Ireland. Sandra worked in General Nursing with the NHS in both community and acute services, and then moved into various healthcare management roles across the NHS including senior advisory roles within health and social care. Sandra has worked as a Bed Manager, Head of Site Operations, Senior Clinical Commissioner and Director of Nursing and she also held regional service improvement advisory roles.

Sandra returned to Ireland in 2018 to join the HSE as Assistant National Director for Older People Services, leading this service from the HSE’s national operations team. Sandra together with the people of the region, the Mid West workforce, local elected representatives and partner organisations will lead the region, build capacity in our services and improve access to integrated health and social care services.

HSE Mid West serves the people of Clare, North Tipperary and Limerick.

Speaking to HSE staff today, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said: 

“The move to the new regions, and a reformed and repurposed HSE Centre, represents a considerable change to our organisational structures.  I am confident we have assembled a strong team of the six most senior officials in the HSE, reporting directly to me.  Individually and collectively, they bring a broad range of skills and experience, placing them as the healthcare experts who will lead the next phase of health service delivery in Ireland.

I look forward to working with them.  Shortly we will announce the details of the new re-organised HSE Centre, designed to support these regional leaders and ensure excellence in our public services.

I want to emphasise that structural change is not the main goal of this reform. The idea behind reorganising our structures is to ensure that people experience just one health service, providing whatever care they need at the right time and in the right place. When we talk about ‘integrated care’, this is what we mean.

I’d like to thank HSE staff around the country for their support and hard work as we transition this year. I look forward to working with each of the new REOs, and the teams they will form over the coming months, to provide a better health service for everyone living in Ireland.”

Stephen Donnelly, TD, Minister for Health, welcomed the announcement: 

"I’m delighted to welcome the six new Regional Executive Officer appointees who will work with the CEO and myself to ensure that this reorganisation of our health and social care services delivers for patients. The HSE Health Regions Implementation Plan has been developed in partnership with health and social care stakeholders and aims to deliver more joined-up care to people when they need it.”

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