HSE chief Paul Reid has announced that he will be stepping down from his post at the end of the year “to spend time with his family”.
In a statement today, Mr Reid said it was with a “heavy heart” that he made the decision he said was influenced by a desire to spend more time with his family, and a “belief that the HSE entered a new phase and that the appointment of a new leader was now timely”.
He said he had no immediate career plans.
The outgoing HSE boss will stop for more than two years before his contract of € 411,777 per year expires.
He said he had informed the chairman, the board of directors of the HSE and the health minister, Stephen Donnelly, of his decision and agreed that he will step down in December this year, facilitating a period to process of selecting a successor.
In a message to staff today, Mr Reid said it was the most difficult decision he had ever made regarding his own career.
“I have worked in private, non-profit, central and local government before, and working in HSE has been by far the best period of my career.
“It was really rewarding to lead an organization whose staff comes to work every day to improve people’s lives.
“No organization will ever be able to match the dedication, dedication and unwavering willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty that I have witnessed as we battled multiple waves of Covid, a criminal cyber-attack, while driving a major reform agenda.
This was really inspiring for me to experience,” he said.
The Taoiseach today paid tribute to Mr Reid, thanked him for his continued efforts during the pandemic and said he understood his reasons for leaving “after an extremely demanding period”.
Micheál Martin said: “I would like to thank the CEO of HSE Paul Reid for his work over the years, in particular for his extraordinary leadership shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The HSE, through Paul and his associates, led on behalf of the country from the front during an 11-in-a-century pandemic, demonstrating the value and importance of a national public health delivery service.
“Through acute hospital services, community services, testing and tracing and an industry-leading vaccination program, the HSE played a vital role in Ireland’s fight against COVID.
“I know from personal experience dealing with Paul during the pandemic that he was available almost 24/7, seven days a week.
“No call was too late at night or too early in the morning. He was fully committed, along with his teams.
“I fully understand why Paul has decided to step down later this year to spend more time with his family after an extremely demanding period.
“I wish him all the best in the future.”
Minister Stephen Donnelly also thanked Paul Reid for his hard work.
He said: “Since his appointment as chief executive in June 2019, Paul Reid has provided exemplary leadership to the HSE.
“He has guided Ireland’s health service through some of its most difficult days and has done so with dedication and professionalism.
“Throughout the pandemic, Paul played a vital role in leading Ireland’s response to the greatest health crisis of our time.
“He leaves behind an organization that has improved greatly for his time as chief executive and one that is already making real progress in implementing reforms and improvements in many aspects of healthcare.
“I want to wish Paul all the best for the future and thank him and his family for the many sacrifices they have made over the past three years to enable him to dedicate himself to the role of CEO.”
HSE President Ciarán Devane also paid tribute, saying: “It is with great regret that I and the Board of Directors learned of Paul’s decision.
“He has guided the health service through the greatest challenge it has ever faced with unwavering dedication and professionalism. We are very grateful that he will remain in his role for another period to enable us to continue the extremely difficult task of replacing him.”