Departing HSE chief: An outspoken public servant

Tony O’Brien, who will not renew his term of office beyond the end of summer 2018, has been outspoken about the challenges facing the health service

HSE chief Tony O’Brien with Minister for Health Simon Harris at the launch of the National Services Plan 2018. Pic: RollingNews.ie

On the day thatTony O’Brien was appointed director general of the HSE in 2012, the city of London was showcasing dancing doctors, nurses in uniform and children bouncing on hundreds of luminous beds that spelled out three letters: NHS – Britain’s National Health Service. It was the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

For O’Brien, the new HSE chief, the elaborate tribute to the NHS said a lot about how it was perceived ...