New hospital manager appointed at Portiuncula
Roscommon native Eileen Kelly has been appointed as the new hospital manager at Portiuncula University Hospital.
The HSE said Ms Kelly, who is from Ballinlough in Roscommon, is bringing more than 25 years of healthcare experience to the role, having worked across a range of clinical, academic and senior management positions in both the public and private health sectors.
She has spent the last 18 months as general manager for maternity services at the hospital in Ballinasloe.
She graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Radiography in 1999 and began her career as a radiographer, holding a number of clinical posts before joining Galway University Hospitals in 2007 as a Clinical Specialist Radiographer.
In 2014, she returned to University College Dublin as a lecturer in the School of Medicine, where she taught on both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. She re-joined Galway University Hospitals in 2016 as Radiography Services Manager.
The HSE added that, since moving from clinical practice into healthcare management in 2018, Ms Kelly had held a number of senior regional leadership roles, including working with the patient flow improvement project team and serving as clinical services improvement manager in the office of the chief clinical director for the Saolta University Health Care Group.
She also served as general manager for the Women's and Children's Network for HSE West and North West before becoming general manager for maternity services in Portiuncula.
A statement from the HSE said that, throughout her career, Ms Kelly had led a broad range of service development, quality improvement and transformational change initiatives, with a strong focus on improving patient care, operational performance and healthcare delivery.
Commenting on her appointment, Eileen Kelly said: "I am honoured to take up the role of hospital manager at Portiuncula University Hospital.
"Having worked alongside the dedicated staff at the hospital over the past 18 months, I have seen first-hand their commitment to delivering high-quality care to patients and their families.
"I look forward to working with colleagues across the hospital, our community partners and stakeholders to continue developing services, improving patient experiences and ensuring the best possible outcomes for the communities we serve," she added.