A SENIOR OFFICIAL in the HSE is to leave the organisation in June to join VHI Health and Wellbeing as managing director.

Chief operations officer Anne O’Connor has led more than 100,000 staff providing health and social services in community and acute hospital settings in Ireland.

O’Connor has been the chief operations officer since 2018, and was a key figure in managing the health service response to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the cyber-attack on the HSE in May 2021.

Having trained and worked as an occupational therapist in the UK, O’Connor has worked in the Irish health service since 1995.

In 2014, she became national director for mental health and in 2018 became national director of community operations responsible for all community-based health and social care services.

Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE, said: “Anne has made an extraordinary contribution to the health service during her time with us.

“She has not only led the operations of the health service through a period of great challenge and pressure, but she has done so while retaining an unwavering commitment to high quality and continuous improvement.

“The HSE is facing into a time of significant change, and the fact that it is in a position to do so with confidence owes an awful lot to Anne’s work.

“She has been a great colleague, and is highly respected and admired throughout the health service.

“I am very glad that she will be continuing to contribute to healthcare services in Ireland in a very senior role and on behalf of the HSE I want to wish her very well in her new position.”

She will take up the role of managing director of VHI Health and Wellbeing.

Declan Moran, chief executive of the VHI group, said: “We are delighted to have someone of Anne’s calibre and experience join the VHI group.

“VHI is committed to delivering better healthcare for customers and patients and a better customer and patient experience as the organisation evolves from a traditional health insurer to a healthcare partner.

“Last year alone, we had over 380,000 patient interactions with our Health and Wellbeing services and these services will be further developed and embedded into our business in the years to come.

“Anne will work in tandem with the VHI leadership team to ensure that we continue to deliver on our mission of helping our customers live longer, stronger, healthier lives.

“Her clinical background and extensive management experience, as well as her in-depth understanding of the Irish healthcare system and of integrated health service delivery, will be invaluable to VHI as we execute our strategy in the years ahead.”