New Executive Leadership Team appointment

Nelson Marlborough Health Chief Executive Chris Fleming has announced the appointment of Cathy O’Malley as General Manager Strategy, Primary and Community.

Ms O’Malley is currently a Chief Advisor with the Ministry of Health and was previously Deputy Director General and, more recently, Acting Director of Service Commissioning at the Ministry.

Before joining the Ministry of Health, Ms O’Malley was CEO of Compass Health Wellington Trust supporting several Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) across the lower North Island. Earlier she worked in the NGO sector and her first health sector role was managing a large Wellington general practice.

Ms O’Malley has strong links to the Nelson Marlborough district. She lived in Blenheim and Seddon as a child, attended Motueka High School and had a university summer holiday job cleaning Nelson Hospital.

Mr Fleming says he is delighted to be able to bring someone of Ms O’Malley’s experience and expertise to the executive table, from 1 August 2016.

“This role is pivotal to progressing our strategic priority to better align our region’s primary and community-based services to the Top of the South Alliance,” Mr Fleming says.

The GM, Strategy, Primary and Community role replaces the GM Strategy, Planning and Alliance Support role held by Andrew Lesperance who left recently to take up a new role in Hawke’s Bay. This departure, and the management and leadership structure underway at Nelson Marlborough Health, led to the reshaping of the role.

All responsibilities of the previous GM role are retained in the new GM role, with the additional service responsibilities: Public health, district nursing, rural hospitals, oral health services (community and hospital) and pharmacy.

Mr Fleming says that the restructure arose from the need to ensure the right people are in the right place to drive strategic and operational objectives. The restructure will also contribute to operational efficiencies required in Nelson Marlborough Health’s draft 2016/17 annual plan (to be signed off by the Minister of Health in August).

The restructure will be complete by September 2016. Other senior appointments yet to be made include: the General Manager Maori Health and Vulnerable Populations, and the Pharmaceutical Services Manager.

ENDS

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