THE NEWS THAT Bernard Gloster will step down from his role as CEO of the HSE in March of next year has been met with mixed reactions and some dismay by workers in the health service, who have spoken to The Journal on an unnamed basis. 

Gloster, who previously served as the CEO of Tusla, said that the choice to step down was a “significant personal decision”. He is the second CEO in a row to step down sooner than expected; before him, Paul Reid ended what originally intended to be a five-year stint in the role early. 

Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on health TD David Cullinane told The Journal that the news, which comes just two years and three months into Gloster’s stint in the role, will be a “shock” to many. 

“There was an expectation that he’d be in the role for a number of years to come, and that he’d bring about a cultural shift in the HSE. He made some steps in that direction, but there is a long road ahead. 

“He was quick to accept failure when he needed to, but in terms of accountability and transparency, the HSE needs reform,”  Cullinane said. 

“If you look at what is happening with Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) and the hip surgeries right now, that is clear,” he added. 

One of the crises that Gloster dealt with at the helm of the HSE was the ongoing children’s spinal surgery scandal. 

The parent-led Scoliosis Advocacy Network said yesterday: “We’ve brought many serious issues to the attention of Bernard Gloster. Now, he’s choosing to step down, a luxury our children never had. They had no choice in the pain and trauma they endured. CHI, under HSE governance, remains mired in scandal”. 

In hospitals, some nurses and doctors shared their frustration, others had positive things to say, and some looked towards what changes the next leadership needs to bring in. 

A University Hospital of Limerick staff member

The staff member told us: “Mr Gloster promised accountability in the case of Aoife Johnston. We’ve seen senior staff return to their roles, and put into newly-created positions. The Emergency Department is still a disaster.

“The recent consultant in-sourcing scandal is an example of people taking management positions, gaining insight into dysfunctional processes, and then exploiting them for profit once their tenure ends. How has this been allowed to happen? 

“Bernard Gloster could have done better.” 

A paediatric doctor 

The doctor told The Journal: “From a paediatric and neonatal perspective, Gloster brought a level of honesty that was badly needed. He acknowledged the cracks in the system instead of pretending they weren’t there, which was a step in the right direction. 

“But honesty isn’t enough. Children are still waiting far too long for basic services, and neonatal care is hanging by a thread. The neonatal ICU in the new Children’s Hospital won’t be ready when CHI opens, and that will be a tragedy for the most vulnerable babies in the country. 

“The next HSE leader must put children at the centre of the agenda. That means proper investment. This is not a side issue, it’s the foundation of a health system.

Gloster steadied the ship. Now we need someone who will steer it somewhere better. 

An emergency department nurse

The nurse told us: “The pay and review policy means that it can  take six months to recruit healthcare staff into posts that have previously existed and are needed. Sometimes no one is recruited at all. This obviously means there are less staff to provide care, and it leads to unsafe staffing and worse patient outcomes.”

They noted that Gloster worked under Robert Watts and Stephen Donnelly, “who both rarely faced the media”. 

“EDs have gotten worse. What used to be a winter emergency is now a year-long one. Both the Department and the HSE are desensitised to the problem. We have persistent overcrowding, a lack of beds, and we care for patients in inappropriate areas. We’ve seen very little in the way of reform.”

A psychiatric nurse  

The psychiatric nurse told us: “The continued expansion of mental health services is overloading the services themselves, especially in community services. When those fail, it results in inappropriate referrals, and inpatient services become overloaded too. 

“The lack of crisis intervention services, and psychiatric emergency care units attached to A&E needs to be addressed.

“Mental health nursing as a profession is becoming less and less attractive. There are no benefits to the job. Assaults are on the rise. The HSE needs to address the crisis in recruitment. Whoever is next needs to bring in incentives, like the NHS has, that helps staff to gain a mortgage, and offers them city living subsidies.”