Nenagh native appointed to top health service role

Former Munster and Ireland rugby player Fiona Steed, a native of Ballinaclough, Nenagh, has been appointed to a top position within the Health Service Executive.

Ms Steed, who won 62 caps for Ireland and served as Munster captain twice, has been appointed Chief Health and Social Care Processional Officer in the Department of Health in a move that has been welcomed by the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly.

Ms Steed, a physiotherapist who practiced at Nenagh Hospital, was Munster Women's Head Coach from 2006 to 2009. She is married to former Munster and Ireland rugby star, John Hayes.

The Department of Health in announcing her new appointment said it was pleased to welcome Ms Steed on her appointment as Chief Health and Social Care Professional (HSCP) Officer.

EARLY CAREER

Fiona Steed’s professional career spans 30 years of working in the health sector, having qualified from Teesside University with a BSc in Physiotherapy in 1993 and spending her formative career working in the North East of England during the formation of the National Health Service (NHS) Trusts.

She then worked as a private practitioner in her own sports injury clinic before returning to Ireland in late 2000, taking up a senior physiotherapist role in Nenagh Hospital, now part of UL Hospitals Group (ULHG).

She completed a Masters of Science in Neuro Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy in University College Dublin (UCD) in 2007, and a Higher National Diploma in Healthcare Management in University of Limerick (UL) in 2016.

‘COMPASSIONATE LEADER’

The Department said Ms Steed was “an inclusive and compassionate leader whose vision and collaborative working style have seen many pivotal projects come to fruition across ULHG and the Mid-West”.

In 2017 she was appointed the inaugural Group Lead of Allied Health in ULHG, which was a unique position within the HSE, holding a group-wide remit as lead to six Health and Social Care Professional departments.

During this time Ms Steed fostered key relationships with UL and the community health organisation, which led to significant research outputs and increased practice education placements in the region.

Notably, she was a key driver in bringing the Intermediate Care Facility to life during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collaboration between ULHG and UL provided a unique opportunity for innovative student-led practice education.

In February 2021 she was the first Health and Social Care Professional to be appointed as directorate General Manager in the University Limerick Hospital Group.

As the General Manager for the Medicine Directorate, she continued to collaborate with colleagues across all disciplines within both the acute sector and the community health organisation, resulting in the Geriatric Emergency Medicine unit opening in September 2022.

As co-chair of the Integrated Care Working Group on Chronic Disease management, she aided the establishment of many integrated projects.

RUGBY INVOLVEMENT

Outside of work, she can be found either on the side of a rugby pitch or around the committee table at the IRFU where she is currently one of three female representatives.

Welcoming her appointment, Minister Donnelly said: “I am delighted that Fiona is being appointed to this important role within my department. The Chief Health and Social Care Professional Officer will have a key strategic role that will provide leadership on policy direction and evidence-based expert advice for the Health and Social Care Professions policy agenda. The role provides an exciting opportunity to develop and strengthen collaboration across the professions, as well as leading and enabling advanced practice.”

Fiona Steed stated: “I am honoured to take up this role as Chief HSCP Officer within the Department of Health. “The office is something we have championed for over a long period of time, and I see it as a privilege to represent the 26 professions.

“My initial focus will be on advanced practice, strategic workforce planning and practice education.

“I look forward to engaging with all the professions, the National HSCP office and the universities over the coming weeks and months.”