The Taoiseach confirmed to the Dáil this morning that the chief executive of the Health Service Executive, Cathal Magee, is stepping down less than two years into his five-year contract.
Enda Kenny said that Mr Magee had been discussing for some time with the Department of Health the intended changes to the structure of the HSE.
“Having considered the new structure that is to be set in place, Mr Magee has indicated it is his intention to depart when the transition to the new structure takes place,’’ he added.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin asked Mr Kenny if Mr Magee had “been shoved out’’ by Minister for Health Dr James Reilly? Mr Kenny replied: “The answer to your question is in the negative.’’
Mr Kenny thanked Mr Magee for his service “as a person of integrity and commitment’’.
Mr Martin said the current management of the health services was in a shambles. “We have a volatile Minister, here, and senior personnel have left because of his behaviour and the manner in which he deals with people,’’ he added.
Mr Martin said Mr Magee’s exit was being masked by the relabelling of positions. Without question, he said, Mr Magee was being “shoved out” of his position in an unacceptable manner by the Minister.
Mr Kenny said it was utterly hypocritical of Mr Martin to claim that Mr Magee was being pushed by the Minister and also to say that the management of the HSE was in a shambles. “You cannot have it both ways,’’ he added.
Dr Reilly told a press conference this morning that Mr Magee told him he was leaving the post last Friday. He praised Mr Magee's "public-spiritedness" in agreeing to waive any compensation due on the remaining three years of his contract.
Asked whether Mr Magee was "pushed" or not, the Minister said the decision to go was "Mr Magee's and Mr Magee's alone".
He thanked Mr Magee for his contribution to the health services and stressed he would remain in his post for an interim period. The HSE would still have to remain within budget, he said.
Dr Reilly was answering questions at the unveiling of his plans to restructure the health service, which will see the HSE brought under the direct control of the Department of Health.
A director general and heads of six new area-specific directorate will be appointed as part of the re-organisation.
"For too long the treatment of patients in our health services has had to conform to the needs of the system," he said. "This new directorate structure in the HSE will allow us to redesign the system to put the needs of the patient front and centre."
The six new directorates will cover the areas of primary care, hospitals, social care, mental health, health and well-being and child and family services.
Dr Reilly said the plan would save money but he was unable to say how much. It was as much about being more efficient as saving money, he said.
Mr Magee warned, however, there may be further cuts in hospital bed numbers in the autumn. He said moves to curb expenditure on agency personnel in the health service will impact on the staffing levels and that this might result in further bed reductions.
However he told RTÉ there were around 150 fewer hospital beds closed at present than at the same period last year.
He said that the proposed new structure, with a director general instead of a chief executive, was a very different role and one he had no interest in.
Mr Magee said responsibly for the health budget would move back to the department and that the Minister and the department would take on more accountability.
“If this governance bill was not going through I would be quite happy to remain as chief executive and deal with the significant challenges confronting the health service,” he said.
The Irish Times reported last week that the Government had rejected proposals drawn up by the HSE to deal with its €281 million financial deficit by closing more beds and reducing the number of elective procedures carried out.
Mr Magee said today he was surprised that the letter sent to him by the secretary general of the Department of Health outlining the rejection of the HSE proposals had been leaked.
Mr Magee also said that management viewed as “disappointing” an engagement yesterday with hospital consultants on plans put forward for greater flexibility and work practice changes.
Minister of State for Primary Care Roisin Shortall said Mr Magee's departure was a significant blow to the service and that he will be “badly missed”.
While Mr Magee is only the latest senior figure to depart the health services since Dr Reilly became minister last year, the Minister denied having carried out a purge in his area.