Anne O’Connor, who was named as the new chief executive of the Health Service Executive in December, takes over from Bernard Gloster this month.

Ms O’Connor previously served as chief executive of Irish health insurer Vhi Healthcare and earlier held a number of senior leadership roles within the HSE, including chief operations officer and national director of mental health.

Her appointment comes as Ireland continues to pursue major health system reform.

Digital transformation is expected to remain a key focus for the HSE. The health service is progressing plans to implement a national electronic health record and expand shared digital infrastructure across hospitals, community services and primary care.

The HSE’s Digital for Care framework outlines significant investment in digital platforms, shared care records and the HSE Health App as part of efforts to remove barriers and “support more joined-up care”.