In his first newspaper interview since his appointment, Kevin Kelly talks to Health Correspondent Eithne Donnellan, about driving health service reform
He may be an accountant and a former managing director of AIB Bank but the man recently appointed to chair the board of the authority which next year takes over the day-to-day running of the health service from the Department of Health has stressed he does not see his job as setting out to cut costs.
Mr Kevin Kelly, who has been appointed as executive chairman of the new interim Health Service Executive (HSE), said he was conscious of the fact that his appointment could be viewed as a cost-cutting exercise but this was far from the case.
"I wouldn't have taken the role on if I thought that [controlling spending\] was the job or the priority," he said.
He added that there was obviously from the Government's perspective "a question of value for money" but his priorities would be patients first and improving services for them, then staff and creating a more effective environment for them to be able to bring their skills and expertise to help patients, and then achieving value for money.
He added that while he qualified as an accountant his main expertise is in strategy and management. "My most recent job was running AIB bank but I've run a food company, an insurance company, accountancy practice, consultancy company. My experience is general management and I've a lot of experience in change management so maybe that is one of the reasons they approached me," he added.
The interim HSE is now busy planning for when health boards are abolished and it takes over, along with four regional executive bodies, the running of public hospitals and primary care services, and managing staff.
Mr Kelly, who is in his early 60s, will visit all health boards over the next few months.
The board of the interim HSE to meet later this month when members will receive an intensive briefing on all strands of the reform programme.
The main tasks of the board now will be appointing a chief executive to run the service, liaising with the Minister on boundaries for the new regional executives which will replace health boards and making a recommendation to the Minister on where the HSE should be located.
Mr Kelly has also been appointed in recent weeks to chair the National Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of the Government's Health Reform Programme which will include the reorganisation of hospital services as outlined in the controversial Hanly report. It has made recommendations for two health board areas at this stage which will see accident and emergency services in smaller hospitals in Ennis, Nenagh and Loughlinstown in Dublin scaled back to minor injury units which will not remain open overnight.
Asked about how he will deal with concerns across the State that Hanly will effectively lead to downgrading some A&Es, he said it was too early to comment on the three reports which underpin health service reform programme. These include the Prospectus, Brennan and Hanly reports and he said he had a sense at times they are looked at in isolation but they had to be looked at in their totality.
He acknowledged that economists have put forward differing views on whether the €10 billion being spent on the health service is too little or too much but said he had not yet formed a view on this issue. His personal experience of it has been excellent and he has been very impressed with the commitment and dedication of staff .