New man at Portlaoise hospital's helm has 'wealth of experience' says HSE

A man with "vast experience and a wealth of experience" in health care has taken up the position of General Manager of Portlaoise hospital.

The HSE has confirmed the appointment of Mr John Joyce, the new General Manager of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. The HSE Mr Joyce, who hails from Ballinamore, Co Leitrim but is living in Laois,  joins the hospital with over two decades of experience in the health service.

A statement said he comes to the role from the HSE's Special Delivery Unit (SDU) where he was General Manager with responsibility for Unscheduled Care and Information Technology. The HSE says SDU works closely with hospitals and hospital groups, the National Treatement Purchase Fund and the Emergency Department Taskforce to improve access to care for patients in our public hospitals.

"John has a wealth of experience across both acute and community services, having worked previously as occupational therapy manager in primary care, general manager within the Service Delivery Unit, clinical lead for the development of the exceptionally beneficial GP Health link system, which has had huge success and of great benefit to the HSE. John also comes to the role with vast experience in quality and patient safety," said a HSE statement.  

Mr Joyce takes the helm of a hospital that is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. It includes hospitals in Naas, Tullamore and  Dublin (St James's, Tallaght, the Coombe, St Lukes). 

Trevor O'Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, said he was delighted to welcome to his new job in Laois.

"John is bringing his vast experience and expertise to the hospital and I wish him the very best as he takes on this new position," he said.

Mr Joyce is looking forward to his time in Portlaoise.

“It is with great pleasure that I take up my new role as General Manager of the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. I am coming to the hospital at an exciting time of change and I am looking forward to working towards continuous improvement and innovations across each department and working with our community partners to deliver the right care to our patients, in the right place, at the right time,” he said.

Mr Joyce takes over from Michael Knowles who retired before Christmas following 41 years working in the public health service. Mr Knowles was in charge for seven years, the start of which was marked by a period of significant controversy due the controversy surrounding the hospital's maternity unit in the years before he took charge. He also guided the hospital through the choppy waters of a potential downgrade.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly visited the hospital in late 2022 signaling that he had no plan to pull services out of the hospital.

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A plan drawn up by the HSE and published in 2017 outlined a roadmap to remove Emergency, ICU, most surgery, peadiatrics, and maternity services from the Laois hospital.

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Mr Joyce is not the only member of the management team to move on from Portlaoise in recent months. The Director of Nursing Sandra McCarthy has taken up a position at Tallaght Hospital.