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Health Chief's Departure "A Blow For Northern Ireland"

Thursday 22 November 2007

A leading medical charity has said the resignation of the Chief Executive designate of the Health and Social Authority after only 15 months in the job will have a negative effect on the provision of health care in Northern Ireland.

A leading medical charity has said the resignation of the Chief Executive designate of the Health and Social Authority after only 15 months in the job will have a negative effect on the provision of health care in Northern Ireland.

David Sissling had been appointed to address concerns that Health Service resources were not being used to best effect. His main role was to make the commissioning of health care independent from the department that provides it.
At the moment, the Department of Health does both.

But the Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke, Andrew Dougal, said: "Mr Sissling was due to take full powers in April 2008. That was put back to 2009. His early departure is likely to mean going back to the old way of doing things, which is not in the best interests of patients or the Health Service as a whole.
Effective steps must be put in place to ensure that in the years ahead resources continue to be used much more efficiently in our Health Service.

This is particularly important in view of the fact that resources to the Health Service are to take a major hit next year."

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