Oifig an Phríomhoifigigh Airgeadais
Feidhmeannacht na
Seirbhíse Sláinte
Seomra 125, Ospidéal
Dr. Steevens
BÁC 8
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
Health Service Executive
Room 125, Dr Steevens
Hospital
Dublin 8
Email; cfo@hse.ie
Memo
To
Each Assistant Chief Financial Officer, HSE.
Each Assistant National Director of Finance, HSE.
All HSE Finance Staff
Copy
Directors of Finance / CFOs or equivalent HSE funded agencies
From
Stephen Mulvany, Chief Financial Officer, HSE.
Date:
19th May 2014
Subject:
Supporting the sustainable delivery of health and social care services to our service users /
patients / clients.
Dear Colleagues,
As I finish my first full day as Chief Financial Officer I felt it appropriate to communicate with you briefly.
Firstly I know you will join with me in acknowledging the energy my predecessor Tom Byrne put into the role
and in wishing him all the very best as he returns to the private sector to pursue other interests.
In preparing for today I have over the last couple of weeks covered for Tom during his annual leave and in
that time I have had an opportunity to reconnect with some of the senior finance staff and begin to
appreciate the current challenges.
Supporting our services to deal with the Financial Challenge
It is clear that after a number of years of cost containment and cost reduction against the background of
growing demand for and delivery of services the health and social care system is under significant pressure to
operate in a sustainable way within the available resources. It is at times like this that the finance division is
most needed by our service colleagues and their patients / service users / clients. I believe the finance
division has been and can continue to develop as a trusted and valued partner to our service managers. This
partnership will at times require constructive challenge but it is fundamentally about supporting the
continuous improvement in our services and the outcomes they deliver for those who need them. I know you
will continue to give of your time, energy and commitment to this unifying purpose and I want to
acknowledge the good work you and your teams are already doing in this regard. However I need to ask that
you consider, in consultation with your service colleagues, how we can better support them.
Finance Structures
It is clear to me that one of the things I and senior colleagues need to address as a high priority in the coming
weeks is the requirement to bring certainty around our organisational structures within the finance division.
Clearly there is a need to balance the requirement to engage with stakeholders on this with the requirement
to move quickly given the significant time that has lapsed since the structural changes were first set out in the
finance operating model.
My intention is therefore to finalise the top level structure and transitionary arrangements to implement
same within the next 3-4 weeks and also to conduct a series of personal engagements on a mixed one to one
and group basis with members of the finance division over the next 4-6 weeks. These engagements will I
hope allow us to then move forward with making the necessary changes to the structures at the levels below
that top level.
My hope is that before the end of July we should have commenced implementation of what will ideally be a
largely consensus based move to our new finance structures.
Finance Reform Programme
Phase II of Finance Reform Programme has been progressing since January 2014 and indeed the above
referenced restructuring of Finance Organisational Design is a significant work stream within this programme.
Other work streams are progressing on target including development of Business Case, Enterprise
Structure/Chart of Accounts, Portfolio review and Interim BI Reporting. Accordingly I reiterate my full
support for this programme as one of the current most significant priorities for the HSE. Many of you will
already have been engaged at a variety of levels in the Finance Reform Programme and while I fully
appreciate the many demands on all our time I am requesting that full support for this programme continues.
Conclusion
I look forward to meeting with and working with you in the months ahead.
Yours sincerely,
_________________________
Stephen Mulvany
Chief Financial Officer (HSE)