McGrath says there is a huge job ahead for new Health Permanent Secretary
SDLP Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has said that the new interim Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health has a huge body of work ahead him.
The Health Minister has confirmed Mike Farrar will take up the post from April.
South Down MLA Mr McGrath said: “I would like to thank outgoing Permanent Secretary Peter May who worked hard during his time in this role despite the sizeable task before him. He engaged positively with MLAs in his time in the role.
“I welcome the appointment of someone with the experience of Mike Farrar as the new interim Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health.
“He has worked for many years in the NHS in England and I hope that he will be able to bring some of what he has learned to help us address the huge pressures facing our health service.
“In his previous roles, Mr Farrar has talked about the need for a cultural change within the NHS if we are going to achieve better outcomes for patients and working conditions for staff – I couldn’t agree more, what we have at the minute isn’t delivering for anybody.
“We have fostered a culture where people have become used to long waits for healthcare and I hope that a fresh perspective could challenge that.
“There is a huge job of work ahead of the new permanent secretary and I would urge him to immediately direct his attentions to working on a plan to save our health service. I hope his appointment can add some much-needed impetus to the transformation process and he can work with the Health Minister to get on with delivering the change we have needed for so long.”
Health Minister welcomes Interim Permanent Secretary appointment
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has welcomed the appointment of Mike Farrar as interim Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health.
Mr Farrar will take up his post in April, replacing the current Permanent Secretary Peter May, who is retiring from the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS). The announcement of Mr Farrar’s appointment was made earlier: www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/news/interim-permanent-secretary-department-health-announced
The Health Minister said: “Mike Farrar has a long and impressive track record of health service leadership in the United Kingdom and brings considerable experience of healthcare systems in this country and overseas. This will be of great benefit as we tackle the tremendous challenges in health and social care in Northern Ireland.
“I have made clear my commitment to truly transforming our services, bringing more hope into healthcare and achieving better outcomes for patients.
“I am looking forward to working with Mike Farrar as he takes up this key role at a crucial time for the health and social care system.”
Paying tribute to Peter May, Minister Nesbitt said: “I have often spoken of my admiration for Peter May whose wisdom, experience, integrity and leadership has proved invaluable during an extremely challenging period for our health and social care system.
“I know I speak for everyone who has worked with Peter in thanking him for his years of dedicated service, and not just in Health but across a range of Executive Departments and as a member of the Permanent Secretaries group.
“He is an extremely diligent and talented public servant, who has always been committed to building a better Northern Ireland for all our citizens.”
