Hospitals taskforce chairman resigns

Less than a year into his high-profile job, the HSE national director of acute hospital services has tendered his resignation.

Dr Tony O’Connell — who came to Ireland from Australia in 2014 armed with glowing references — is returning to Queensland to join his wife, who was recently offered an academic post in a university.

Dr O’Connell’s departure represents a setback for the Emergency Department Taskforce, established last month to find long-term solutions to overcrowding.