THE HSE HAS welcomed the appointment of Jim Breslin, the new Secretary General to the Department of Health.

Breslin was appointed earlier today by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar TD.

The new job comes as a move back to the Department of Health for Breslin, who is currently Secretary General at the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

He has previously worked for the HSE, the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Department of Finance.

The new Secretary General also holds masters degrees in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and from Trinity College Dublin.

Speaking about the appointment today, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, said:

I am delighted that Jim Breslin has accepted this appointment as Secretary General. He is returning to the Department of Health, where he is highly regarded by his management colleagues and staff alike, at a time of great change in the health service.

Speaking about the appointment, director general of the HSE Tony O’Brien said:

I welcome warmly the appointment of Jim. He comes to the Department of Health with a wealth of experience in healthcare. I look forward to working closely with him over the next number of years with a view to continuously improving the quality of services for our patients and clients.

The appointment sees Dr Ambrose McLoughlin depart from the role. The former Secretary General stood down from his position in the Department of Health to pursue a new role helping in the implementation of the Health Ireland strategy.

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