Top HSE chief in southwest apologises for false comments about Taoiseach’s office

The top health official in the southwest has apologised “unreservedly” for falsely stating he was instructed by the Taoiseach’s office effectively to reprimand Cork University Hospital’s (CUH) chief executive for raising patient safety concerns arising from staffing restrictions.Andy Phillips, HSE South West regional executive officer, said he made the remarks during a “heated exchange” when he met CUH management on August 20th. This was a day after a letter written by CUH chief executive Jennifer Kearney about the impact of recruitment curbs was leaked to the media.The Irish Times reported this week that official minutes of the meeting quoted Phillips telling Kearney he had been instructed by the offices of the Taoiseach and Minister for Health “to have some very specific conversations with you”. READ MOREThe minutes also said he warned Kearney about a potential performance management process.In the Dáil on Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin rejected strongly that he or his office had given any such direction to Phillips. He appeared to question the official minutes, making reference to “inaccurate and untrue accounts of meetings”.“My understanding is that the regional executive officer is very clear that at no stage did he make any reference to instructions from the Taoiseach’s office or anybody from the Taoiseach’s office. I want that to be clear because false assertions were made about my office,” Martin said.HSE South West regional executive officer Andy Phillips. Photograph: LinkedIn However, the August 20th meeting, attended by more than 15 people, was recorded – apparently without the knowledge of Phillips. The tape – a copy of which was obtained by The Irish Times – indicates that the minutes accurately reflected his comments. Asked about the comments on the tape, the HSE issued a statement from Phillips in which he acknowledged he told the meeting he had been “instructed by the Taoiseach’s office and the Minister for Health’s office to have some very specific conversations with the CEO of CUH in relation to the ongoing very serious concerns about the operation of the hospital”.“The meeting followed a letter which had been sent by the hospital’s CEO to the HSE which indicated in the view of the hospital CEO, that the hospital was facing increasing patient safety risks as a result of staff shortages,” he said in the statement. “This letter was subsequently provided to the media. It was my view that this letter was not an accurate representation of the staffing situation in CUH and I know it raised concerns with the Government, given their understanding of the significant funding and staffing allocation to CUH in 2025 and 2026. I considered it appropriate to convey those concerns to the CUH management.” He added: “In the course of a heated exchange, I acknowledge that I conveyed that in a manner which did not accurately represent the situation and this was an error on my part.” Phillips said he did “not receive any instructions” from the Taoiseach or Minister for Health regarding what he should say in this conversation. “I should not have suggested that I did and I regret this.”A spokesman for the Taoiseach said Martin did not meet, speak to or give any instructions to Phillips and “he takes very seriously the false assertion that he said anything of this nature”. The Taoiseach sought clarification from the HSE before speaking in the Dáil, he added. “He was shown a copy of an initial draft statement that the regional executive officer furnished to the HSE that confirmed that no instruction was given by the Taoiseach, or his office, to have some very specific conversations with CUH,” the spokesman said.He added: “The Taoiseach has been unfairly embroiled in a situation that he had not hand or part in.”Health service sources said there had been confusion and Phillips’s denial in the draft statement had been conveyed to Martin that he disputed ever saying he received instructions from the Taoiseach’s office.