The Minister for Health and Children, Ms. Mary Harney welcomed the announcement by The Health and Social Care Professionals' Council of the appointment of Virginia (Ginny) Hanrahan as its first Chief Executive Officer. The Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005 envisages that the Council as responsible for registration of 15 to 20,000 professionals across a range of health and social care professions.

Ginny will be commencing duties on Monday 12th May 2008 based at 8-11, Lower Baggot Street.

Ginny qualified as an Occupational Therapist in 1983, and has worked in the health services for 25 years, in Ireland, Australia and the UK. She also holds an M.SC Community Health (TCD and completed the European Health Leadership Programme at INSEAD, France.

For the past 7 1/2 years she has been the Clinical Services Co-ordinator at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin representing health and social care professionals on the Senior Executive, with responsibility for 400 staff, 27 departments and 20 different professionals -11 of whom come within the aegis of the Council.

She is looking forward to working with the Council in devising and rolling out the state registration system for 12 professional groups as provided for under the Act. These include Clinical Biochemists, Dieticians, Medical Scientists, Occupational Therapists, Orthoptists, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Psychologists, Radiographers, Social Care Workers, Social Workers, and Speech and Language Therapists.

She now begins the task of preparing and agreeing with the Council, detailed plans, on a profession by profession basis for the introduction of individual Registers, each of which will be overseen by dedicated Registration Boards, under the umbrella of the Council. She hopes to begin the roll out of initial registers before year's end.

Department of Health and Children