Updated 10.10am

THE HEAD OF the Health Service Executive Cathal Magee has confirmed today that he is stepping down.

In a statement on the HSE website this morning Magee has said that he will not be an applicant for the post of Director General of the Executive within the proposed new governance and directorate structure.

He said that he will step down at the appropriate time in the transition to this new structure.

It has been a privilege to work as Chief Executive Officer of the HSE over the past two very challenging years. I am proud to have worked in an organisation with such skilled and dedicated staff members who work tirelessly for their patients and clients in often very difficult circumstances.

The programme for government proposed the abolition of the HSE with its roles returning to the Department of Health.

Today the Minister for Health James Reilly will publish legislation which allows for the the reformation of the HSE, and Magee’s departure is part of those reforms.

In March a series of changes to the board of the HSE were announced by the health minister, and these were described as ‘temporary in nature as the Government moves to introduce new legislation to establish a new directorate structure in the HSE’.

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